PROCEEDINGS 


OF   THE 


M 


0f  Ammra 


AT 


THE  LOUISIANA  PURCHASE  EXPOSITION 

JUNE  15  AND   16,  1904 


c  ID  «/• 


ASSOCIATIONS 

TAKING   PART    IN    THE    CONGRESS: 

American  Gas  Light  Association. 

Guild  of  Gas  Managers  of  New  England. 

Kansas  Gas,  Water  and  Electric  Light  Association. 

Michigan  Gas  Association. 

New  England  Association  of  Gas  Engineers. 

Ohio  Gas  Light  Association. 

Pacific  Coast  Gas  Association. 

Society  of  Gas  Lighting. 

Western  Gasr  Association. 

Wisconsin  Ga§  A£soc>atioW 


COMMITTEE 

appointed  by  the   American   Gas    Light  Association   to   issue  call  and  make 
arrangements  for  the  Congress  : 

C.  J.  R.  HUMPHREYS,   Chairman. 

IRVIN  BUTTERWORTH,  E.  G.  COWDERY, 

WALTON  CLARK,  WM.  MCDONALD. 


The  authors  only  are  responsible  for  their  respective  articles. 


CONTENTS. 


Roll  Call I 

Statement  as  to  the   Preliminary   Work  of  Arrangement  for  the  Con- 
gress and  as   to   the    Officers   who   were   to   Preside  over  the 

Meetings 

Opening  Address,  by  Mr.  Rollin  Norris 9 

"  "          Appointment  of  Committee  on 24 

"  "          Report  of  Committee  on 217 

"  The  Labor  Question,"  by  F.  H.  Shelton 25 

Discussion  on  Mr.  F.  H.  Shelton's  Paper  on  "The  Labor  Question"  70 

Expressions  of  Regret  at  Inability  to  Attend  Meeting 91 

"  City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors,"  by  Ira  C.  Copley 92 

Discussion  on   Mr.   Ira  C.   Copley's  Paper  on   "City  Gas  Inspection 

and  Inspectors" -r-s-,.     ....         I24 

"  The  Ventilation  of  Retort  Houses,"  by  Alfred  Lotz 141 

Discussion  on    Mr.    Alfred    Lotz's    Paper   on    "  The   Ventilation   of 

•      Retort  Houses  " H8 

"  Gas  Association  Work,"  by  Henry  L.  Doherty 154 

Resolutions  for  the  Appointment  of  a  Committee  to  draw  up  a  Com- 
prehensive  Plan    Providing   for  a   Single    Gas   Association    in 

North  America 195 

Discussion  on  Mr.    Henry   L.    Doherty 's   Paper  on  "Gas  Association 

Work".. 199 

Resolutions  Calling  for  the  Organization  of  a  Permanent  Association 
Known    as    The    Gas     and     Electric     Lighting    and    Railway 

Associations  League 216 

"  Station  Meters,"  by  Donald  McDonald 219 

Vote  of  Thanks 255 

Adjournment 256 


M90500 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Rollin  Norris,  President  American  Gas  Light  Association, 

Frontispiece  

F.  H.  Shelton,  President  Western  Gas  Association opp.  "  9 

F.  W.  Stone,  President  Ohio  Gas  Light  Association   "  "  81 

W.  A.  Aldrich,  President  Pacific  Coast  Gas  Association   .        "  "  141 

E.  G.  Pratt,  President  Wisconsin  Gas  Association "  "  194 

Clegg's  Rotary  Gas  Holder "  ~  220 

Clegg's  First  Meter "  221 

Malam's  Meter ..  „ "  222 

"            *' "  223 

End  View  of  Crosley's  Drum "  224 

Crosley's  Drum  in  Case  (two  views) ...    "  225 

End  View  of  Three  Partition  or  Parkinson  Drum "  227 

Hinman's  Drum  (two  views) "  229 

Interior  View  of  Hinman's  Drum "  230 

54  in.  Station  Meter ««  235 

Two  of  the  18  ft.  6  in.  Meters  at  2ist  Street  Station,  New 

York  City "  237 

Open  Bar  Index,  with  Observation  Dial "  238 

Station    Meter   Index,  with    Straight  Reading   Register  and 

Recorder "  239 

Differential  Pressure  Gauge ...  "  241 

Overflow  Gauge  for  Station  Meter u  242 

Water    Connections    with    Sight    Feed    and    Discharge    and 

Gas  Connection  to  Gauges ...    . .  "  243 

Meters  at  Ravenswood  (L.  I.)  Station    "  248 

Connections  for  Testing  with  Wet  Test  Meter "  250 


LIST  OF  SUBJECTS   DISCUSSED. 


WITH  NAMES  OF  SPEAKERS. 

SUBJECT  SPEAKER  "  PAGE 

Opening  Address Rollin  Norris 9 

"             "       Appointment   of    Com- 
mittee on F.  H.  Shelton 22,  23,  24 

Thos.  D.  Miller 23 

Rollin  Norris. 23 

Donald  McDonald  (Louisville) . .     23 

< '  The  Labor  Question  " F.  H.  Shelton.. 25,  90 

Rollin  Norris     70 

Paul  Doty 70 

C.  H.  Nettleton 76 

J.  M.  Berkley rrr. . . .  80,  87,  88 

R.  M.  Searle  81 

Paul  Thompson 82,  91 

A.  E.  Boardman 85 

G.  W.  Clabaugh 85 

Donald  McDonald  (Louisville). . 

87,  90,  91 

A.  B.  Macbeth 87 

Jas.  W.  Dunbar 87 

E.  G.  Cowdery 88 

F.  W.  Stone 89,  90 

A.  E.  Forstall 90 

"  City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors  "..Ira  C.  Copley 92,  134,  139 

F.  H.  Shelton 124,  133,  139 

Paul  Thompson 126 

Henry  L.  Doherty 127 

Alten  S.  Miller 127 

H.  D.  Whitcomb,  Jr 129,  130 

Thos.  D.  Miller 130,  132,   138 

Geo.  G.  Ramsdell   130 

A.  E.  Forstall 131 

Forrest  E.  Barker     .  .      134,  138,  139 


VI 

SUBJECT  SPEAKER  PAGE 

"The  Ventilation  of  Retort  Houses  ". .  .Alfred  Lotz 141,  152,  153 

E.  H.  Earnshaw  148,  151 

R.  M.  Searle 149,  151 

A.  B.  Macbeth 150 

Henry  L.  Doherty 150 

Donald  McDonald  (Louisville) . .    1 53 

"  Gas  Association  Work  " Henry  L.  Doherty 154,  209,  212 

Alten  S.  Miller 199 

A.  E.  Forstall 201 

Jas.  W.  Dunbar 202 

A.  K.   Stiles 207,  208,  209 

Paul  Doty 208 

J.  M.  Berkley 209 

A.  E.  Boardman 209 

F.  H.  Shelton 2*tr 

Resolutions  for  the  Appointment  of  a 
Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  for  a  Single  Gas 
Association  in  North  America  ..  Donald  McDonald  (Louisville) 

194,  195,  196,  197,  198,  199 

E.  G.  Pratt 195,  197,  198,  199 

E.  G.  Cowdery 196 

John  Mcllhenny 196 

A.  E.  Boardman 196,  198 

Rollin  Norris 197 

Thos.  D.  Miller 198 

Wm.  McDonald 199 

A.  E.   Forstall. 199 

Resolutions  Calling  for  the  Organiza- 
tion of  a  Permanent  Association 
Known  as  The  Gas  and  Electric 
Lighting  and  Railway  Associations 

League Waldo  A.  Learned 215,  217 

A.  E.  Boardman 216,  217 

Henry  L.  Doherty 216,  217 

«'  Station  Meters  " Donald  McDonald  (Albany) 219 

t  J.  B.  Howard 254 

'  Alten  S.  Miller 254 


LIST  OF  SPEAKERS, 

WITH    SUBJECTS    DISCUSSED. 


SPEAKER  SUBJECT  PAGE 

BARKER,  FORREST  E City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors. 

134,  138,  139 

BERKLEY,  J.  M The  Labor  Question 80,  87,  88 

Gas  Association  Work 209 

BOARDMAN,  A.  E. The  Labor  Question     85 

Gas  Association  Work   209 

Resolutions  for  the  Appointment,  of  a 
Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  for  a  Single  Gas 
Association  in  North  America  196,  198 
Resolutions  Calling  for  the  Organiza- 
tion of  a  Permanent  Association 
known  as  The  Gas  and  Electric  Light- 
ing and  Railway  Association  League. 

216,  217 

CLABAUGH,   G.  VV The  Labor  Question 85 

COPLEY,  I£A  C City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors. 

92,  134,  139 

COWDERY,  E.  G The  Labor  Question   88 

Resolutions  for  the  Appointment  of  a 
Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  for  a  Single  Gas 

Association  in  North  America 196 

City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors   . . .    127 

DOHERTY,   HENRY  L The  Ventilation  of  Retort  Houses 150 

Gas  Association  Work. 154,  209,  212 

Resolutions  Calling  for  the  Organiza- 
tion of  a  Permanent  Association 
known  as  The  Gas  and  Electric  Light- 
ing and  Railway  Association  League. 

216,  217 

DOTY,  PAUI .  .The  Labor  Question 70 

Gas  Association  Work . .  .   208 


VIII 

SPEAKER  SUBJECT  PAGE 

DUNBAR,  JAS.  W The  Labor  Question 87 

Gas  Association  Work 202 

EARNSHAW,  E.  H The  Ventilation  of  Retort  Houses . .  148,  151 

FORSTALL,  A.  E The  Labor  Question   90 

City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors 131 

Gas  Association  Work  201 

Resolutions  for  the  Appointment  of  a 
Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  for  a  Single  Gas 

Association  in  North  America 199 

HOWARD,  J.  B Station  Meters 254 

LEARNED,  WALDO  A Resolutions  Calling  for  the  Organiza- 
tion of  a  Permanent  Association 
known  as  The  Gas  and  Electric  Light- 
ing and  Railway  Association  League. 

215,  217 

LOTZ,  ALFRED The  Ventilation  of  Retort  Houses. 

141,  152,  153 

MACBETH,  A.  B  The  Labor  Question 87 

The  Ventilation  of  Retort  Houses 150 

MCDONALD,  DONALD  (Albany)     Station  Meters . .   219 

MCDONALD,  DONALD  (Louisville  KOpening  Address,  Appointment  of  Com- 
mittee on ...  23 

The  Labor  Question 87,  90,  91 

.  The  Ventilation  of  Retort  Houses 153 

Resolutions  for  the  Appointment  of  a 
Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  for  a  Single  Gas 
Association  in  North  America. 

194,  195.   196,  197,  198,   199 

MCDONALD,  WM Resolutions  for  the  Appointment  of  a 

Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  .for  a  Single  Gas 

Association  in  North  America 199 

MclLHENNY,  JOHN Resolutions  for   the  Appointment  of  a 

Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  for  a  Single  Gas 

Association  in  North  America 196 

MILLER,  ALTEN  S City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors          127 

Gas  Association  Work 199 

Station  Meters . 254 

MILLER,  THOS.  D  Opening  Address,  Appointment  of  Com- 
mittee on  23 

City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors. 

130,  132,  138 


IX 

Sl'EAKEK  SUBJECT  PAGE 

MILLER,  THOS.   D Resolutions  for   the  Appointment  of  a 

Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  for  a  Single  Gas 

Association  in  North  America 198 

NETTLETON,  C.  H   The  Labor  Question 76 

NORRIS,  ROLLIN Opening  Address 9 

Opening  Address,  Appointment  of  Com- 
mittee on  23 

The  Labor  Question 70 

Resolutions  for  the  Appointment  of  a 
Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  for  a  Single  Gas 

Association  in  North  America 197 

PRATT,  E.  G Resolutions  for  the  Appointment  of  a 

Committee  to  draw  up  a  Comprehen- 
sive Plan  Providing  for  a  Single  Gas 
Association  in  North  America. 

195.  197,  198,   199 

RAMSDELL,  GEO.  G City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors   ...    130 

SEARLE,  R.  M The  Labor  Question 81 

The  Ventilation  of  Retort  Houses  ,    149,  151 

SHELTON,  F.  H Opening  Address,  Appointment  of  Com- 
mittee on    22,  23,  24 

The  Labor  Question   25,  90 

City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors. 

124,   133,   139 

Gas  Association  Work   210 

STILES,  A.  K Gas  Association  Work 207,  208,  209 

STONE,  F.  W The  Labor  Question 89,  90 

THOMPSON,    PAUI The  Labor  Question  82,  91 

City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors     .  .    126 
WHITCOMB,  II.  D.,  JR   City  Gas  Inspection  and  Inspectors.  129,   130 


PROCEEDINQS 


OF   THE 


Congress  of  Gas  Associations  of  America 

HELD    IN 

LIBRARY   HALL,    HALL   OF   CONGRESSES 
LOUISIANA    PURCHASE   EXPOSITION,    ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 

WEDNESDAY   AND   THURSDAY,    JUNE    15  and    16,   1904 


WEDNESDAY'S  SESSION. 

MR.  RoivLiN  NORRIS  (Philadelphia,  Pa.),  President  of  the 
American  Gas  Light  Association,  called  the  meeting  to  order 
at  10:40  o'clock. 

The  following  persons  were  present : 


Adams,  H.  E.    - 
Aldrich,  W.  A. 
Ambler,  T.  M.  - 
Arkwright,  P.  S. 
Atwood,  W.  A. 
Baehr,  W.  A. 
Bailey,  Wm. 
Baldwin,  W.  S. 
Barker,  F.  E. 
Battin,  H.  S. 
Beal,  T.  R. 
Beardslee,  C.  S. 
Beck,  Geo.  W.  - 
Bedard,  F.  W. 
Berkley,  J.  M. 
Beyerle,  W.  P. 
Bigelow,  L.  S. 
Bixby,  Howard 
Bixby,  W.  A.     - 


Stockton,  Cal. 
Spokane  Falls,  Wash. 
St.  L/ouis,  Mo. 
Atlanta,  Ga. 
Flint,  Mich. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Oskaloosa,  la. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Poughkeepsie,   N.  Y. 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Sunbury,  Pa. 
La  Salle,  111. 
Bloomington,  111. 
Council  Bluffs,  la. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
Quincy,  111. 
Quincy,  111. 


Blauveft,(W,  S.,  ... 


Bbweh,  E.  W. 
Bowers,  W.  L.    - 
Brainard  Don  C. 
Bredel,  Fred  A. 
Brill,  A.  B. 
Brown,  E.  C. 
Brown,  W.  E. 
Buck,  David 
Buck,  Earl  H. 
Buckley,  J.  C. 
Busch,  J.  L. 
Calkins,  W.  B.   - 
Carpenter,  H.  A. 
Carter,  Thos.  B. 
Cartwright,  H.  R. 
Case,  C.  A. 
Cathels,  Edmund 
Chollar,  B.  E. 
Clabaugh,  G.  W. 
Clapp,  G.  N. 
Clark,  John  C.  D. 
Clarke,  Geo.  S. 
Cobb,  S.  P. 
Coggshall,  H.  F. 
Collins,  Carroll 
Collins,  D.  J. 
Collins,  Warren 
Colvin,  Jas.  E.   - 
Combs,  Roger  B. 
Connelly,  J.  S.  - 
Cooper,  W.  H. 
Copley,  I.  C. 
Cosgrove,  W.  L. 
Cowdery,  E.  G. 
Crawford,  Elmer 
Crawford,  Thos. 
Crane,  Wm.  M. 


Detroit,  Mich. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
Kenosha,  Wis. 
Davenport,  la. 
Carthage,  Mo. 
Milwaukee,  Wis. 
Pittsburg,  Pa. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
New  W  minster,  B.  C. 
Coatesville,  Pa. 
Vincennes,  Ind. 
Chicago,  111. 
Decatur,  111. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Pittsburg.  Pa. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Chicago,  111. 
Providence,  R.  I. 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Omajia,  Neb. 
Middletown,  Ohio. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Fitchburg,  Mass. 
Elkhart,  Ind. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Stamford,  Conn. 
Muncie,  Ind. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Parsons,  Kans. 
Amsterdam,  N.  Y. 
Aurora,  111. 
Atlanta,  Ga. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Sterling,  111. 
Sterling,  111. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 


Cressler,  A.  D.   - 
Crisfield,  J.  A.  P.    - 
Cutcheon,  Max  H. 
Daly,  A.  J. 
Daniels,  J.  M.     - 
Dawson,  Geo.  H. 
Day,  C.  L. 
Dean,  Mark    - 
Dell,  John 
Diall,  M.  N.    - 
Dickel,  Carl  A.  - 
Dickey,  C.  H. 
Dielmann,  Philip  J. 
Doan,  F.  M.    - 
Doherty,  Henry  L. 
Doty,  Paul 
Dougherty,  Dan.  J. 
Dunbar,  Jas.  W. 
Duncan,  F.  C. 
Dunn,  F.  S. 
Button,  L.  R. 
Button,  R.  Hayes  - 
Earnshaw,  H.  H. 
Baton,  A.  B.  - 
Klbert,  V.  L. 
Elliot,  H.  J.    - 
Ellis,  J.  W. 
Eustace,  E.  W.     •   - 
Eustace,  J.  H.    - 
Finnegan,  A. 
Fitzgerald,  J.  H. 
Fitzgerald,  Leonard 
Forbes,  Chas. 
Forbes,  James 
Forstall,  Alfred  E. 
Forstall,  Walton 
Frazer,  D.  H. 
Gerould,  C.  L. 
Gibbons,  Jas.,  Jr. 


-     Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Appleton,  Wis. 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Columbia,  S.  C. 

Springfield,  111. 

Chicago,  111. 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Terre  Haute,  Ind. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Baltimore,  Md. 

Topeka,  Kans. 

Jacksonville,  111. 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Jacksonville,  Fla. 

New  Albany,  Ind. 

Galesburg,  111. 

Albany,  N.  Y. 

Jenkintowji,  Pa. 

Hanover,  Pa. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Chicago,  111. 

St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Chicago,  111. 

Woonsocket,  R.  I. 

Peoria,  111. 

Chicago,  111. 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Houston,  Tex. 

Waukegan,  111. 

London,  Ont.,  Canada 

Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

New  York,  N.  Y. 

Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Battle  Creek,  Mich. 

Galesburg,  111. 
-     Perm  Yan,  N.  Y. 


Gibbons,  P.  H. 
Gimper,  Earle  H. 
Gimper,  John 
Glass,  S.  J. 
Goodnow,  G.  F. 
Gould,  John  A. 
Gribbel,  John 
Guldlin,  O.  N.  - 
Gummer,  H.  R. 
Haase,  E.  - 
Hadden,  Jas.  M. 
Haines,  Jansen  - 
Hammatt,  C.  S. 
Harper,  H.  D. 
Hartman,  W.  E. 
Hay  ward,  S.  F. 
Heffern,  C-  S. 
Helme,  W.  E. 
Henderson,  C.  E.    - 
Hessenbruch,  G.  S.    - 
Hicks,  Geo.  C.,  Jr. 
Holman,  C.  L.   - 
Hopton,  L.  R. 
Horton,  T.  O. 
Howard,  J.  B. 
Humphrey,  A.  H. 
Hurlburt,  A. 
Hyde,  H.  H. 
Jacobs,  C.  H. 
Johnston,  E.  D. 
Jones,  E.  C.    • 
Jones,  J.  O.     - 
Jones,  T.  C. 
Kahn,  L. 
Keller,  C.  M. 
Kelley,  F.  W. 
Kellogg,  L.  L.   - 
Kellum,  B.  J. 
Kersting,  A.  F. 


St.  Louis,  Mo. 

-  New  Orleans,  La. 
Galveston,  Tex. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
Waukegan,  111. 

-  Boston,  Mass. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

-  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 
Dayton,  Ohio. 
Milwaukee,  Wis. 
Poughkeepsie,   N.  Y. 

-  Des  Moines,  la. 
Jacksonville,  Fla. 
Chicago,  111. 
Joliet,  111. 

-  New  York,  N.  Y. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

-  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Milwaukee,  Wis. 

-  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Connersville,  Ind. 

-  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

-  Stapleton,  N.  Y. 
Galena,  111. 

-  Kalamazoo,  Mich. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Racine,  Wis. 
Detroit,  Mich. 

-  Connersville,  Ind. 
San  Francisco,  CaL 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

-  Delaware,  Ohio. 
Hamilton,  Ohio. 

-  Columbus,  Ind. 
Davenport,  Iowa. 
Sioux  City,  la. 
Chicago,  111. 

-  Pittsfield,  Mass. 


Kincaid,  H.  E. 
Knight,  J.  J. 
Lakin,  David  L. 
Lakm,  Sam  W. 
Lane,  Fred  K. 
Lea,  H.  I. 
Learned,  Chas.  A.  - 
Learned,  W.  A. 
Leaven  worth,  Mark 
Leonard,  W.  H. 
Light,  George 
Lindsay,  C.  R.,  Jr. 
Lorenz,  John  - 
Lotz,  A. 
Lovett,  E.  C. 
Lynn,  John  R.  - 
Lyons,  B.  F.  - 
McDonald,  Donald 
McDonald,  Donald 
McDonald,  Wm. 
Mcllhenny,  John    - 
Mcllhenny,  J.  D. 
Macbeth,  A.  B. 
Madsen,  O.  R.    - 
Magee,  R.  S. 
Mansur,  John  H. 
Mason,  C.  H. 
Marshall,  F.  L. 
Martin,  J.  H.  T.     - 
Martin,  W.  W.  - 
Middleton,  Robt.  L. 
Miller,  A.  S.       - 
Miller,  Fred  A. 
Miller,  Thomas  D. 
Mitchell,  K.  M.       - 
Mockett,  W.  E. 
Morava,  W.    - 
Mordue,  T.  N.   - 
Morrell,  E.  E. 


Jackson,  Tenn. 

-  Kalamazoo,  Mich. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

-  Topeka,  Kans. 
East  St.  Louis,  Mo, 

-  Chicago,  111. 
Meriden,  Conn. 

-  Newton,  Mass. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Chicago,  111. 
Dayton,  Ohio. 
Chicago,  111. 
Jackson,  Miss. 
Chicago,  111. 
Chicago,  111. 

-  Waterloo,  la. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

-  Albany,  N.  Y. 
Louisville,  Ky. 

-  Albany,  N.  Y. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

-  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Chicago,  111. 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Royersford,  Pa. 
Bloomington,  111. 

-  Centralia,  111. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

-  Chicago,  111. 
Washington,  D.  C. 

-  Baltimore,  Md. 
Bradford,  Pa. 

-  New  Orleans,  La. 
St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

-  Dallas,  Tex. 
Chicago,  111. 

-  Chicago,  111. 
Chicago,  111. 


Moss,  R.  S.,  Dr. 
Mueller,  E.  B. 
Mueller,  Henry 
Mueller,  Oscar 
Mueller,  Robt.    - 
Murdock,  J.  W. 
Nettleton,  C.  H. 
Norris,  Rollin 
Norton,  Harry  A. 
Olds,  H.  L. 
Osborn,  H.  H.    - 
Osius,  Geo.     - 
Parker,  G.  W.    - 
Patton,  W.  H.       .- 
Perkins,  B.  W. 
Persons,  F.  R. 
Powell,  W.  R. 
Pratt,  E.  G.   - 
Printz,  C.  H. 
Purcell,  T.  V. 
Quinn,  A.  K.      * 
Ramsdell,  Geo.  G.  - 
Rancke,  L.  N.    • 
Reger,  W.  S.  - 
Reilly,  Jas.  A.    - 
Roberts,  C.  F. 
Roper,  Geo.  D. 
Runner,  R.  K. 
Runner,  Z.  T.  F. 
Russell,  D.  R. 
Sanderson,  C.  E. 
Sargent,  Fred  H. 
Schall,  H.  D. 
Schmidt,  E.  G. 
Searle,  R.  M. 
Shelton,  F.  H. 
Sherman,  F.  C. 
Shirra,  John  C. 
Slater,  A.  B.,  Jr. 


Chicago,  111. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Decatur,  111. 
Decatur,  111. 
Decatur,  111. 
Joliet,  111. 

-  Derby,  Conn. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Boston,  Mass. 
Lincoln,  111. 
Chicago,  111. 
Detroit,  Mich. 

-  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Chicago,  111. 
South  Bend,  Ind. 
Toledo,  Ohio. 

-  Columbus,  Ohio. 
Milwaukee,  Wis. 

-  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Chicago,  111. 

-  Newport,  R.  I. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 

-  Baltimore,  Md. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

-  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
New  Haven,  Conn. 
Rockford,  111. 

De  Kalb,  111. 
Freeport,  111. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

-  New  York,  N.  Y. 
Lawrence,  Mass. 
Chicago,  111. 
Springfield,  111. 

-  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

-  New  Haven,  Conn. 
Milwaukee,  Wis. 

-  Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 


Somerville,  Jas. 
Speer,  R.  D. 
Spinning,  W.  V. 
Stacey,  Jas.  E.    - 
Steimvedell,  Geo.    - 
Stein wedell,  Wm. 
Steinwedell,  W.  E. 
Stephens,  H.   H. 
Stiles,  A.  K.   - 
Stone,  F.  W. 
Strohn,  Roy  N. 
Stroud,  M.  W.   - 
Swann,  H.  R. 
Tayler,  Geo.  H. 
Taylor,  J.  D.,  Jr. 
Terhune,  C.  F. 
Thayer,  J.  M.,  Jr.  - 
Thompson,  Paul 
Thwing,  O.  O. 
Tinsman,  E.  H. 
Tippy,  B.  O.   - 
Tucker,  C.  A.     - 
Viles,  B.  D. 
von  Matir,  J.  D. 
Walsh,  J.  T.   - 
Waring,  G.  H. 
Warmington,  D.  R. 
Watt,  Robt. 
Weber,  Oscar  B. 
Wehner,  Robt.  K. 
Wells,  Fred  K. 
Whitcomb,  H.  D.,  Jr. 
White,  H.  H. 
White,  Wm.  Henry    - 
Whitton,  W.  H.      - 
Wickham,  Leigh 
Witherden,  G.  M.  - 
Worcester,  Frank 


Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Little  Rock,  Ark. 
Peru,  Ind. 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Denver,  Col. 
Quincy,  111. 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Brookfield,  Mo. 
Streator,  111. 
Ashtabula,  Ohio. 
Lagrange,  111. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Louisville,  Ky. 
Warren,  Ohio. 
Canon  City,  Col. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
Alton,  111. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Detroit, -Mich. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Chippewa  Falls,  Wis. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Chicago,  111. 
Omaha,  Neb. 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 
Chicago,  111. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
Newark,  N.  J. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
Newark,  N.  J. 
Belleville,  111. 
New  York,  N.  Y. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Young,  John  -  Allegheny,  Pa. 

Young,  Robt.  -     Pittsburg,  Pa. 

MR.  NORRIS  :  I  have  the  honor  of  calling  to  order  the 
First  Congress  of  American  Gas  Associations,  and  in  the  name 
of  the  Gas  Associations  of  America,  I  bid  you  each  and  all  a 
hearty  welcome. 

As  explained  in  the  printed  notices  of  the  Congress,  the 
sessions  will  be  presided  over  in  turn  by  the  Presidents  of  the 
various  Associations  taking  part  in  the  Congress,  and  before 
turning  the  meeting  over  to  one  of  these  Presidents  while 
I  read  my  formal  address,  I  wish  to  say  a  few  words  about 
the  way  this  Congress  happened  to  be  held. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Council  of  the  American  Gas  Light 
Association  last  October,  one  of  the  members  of  that  Council, 
who  also  held  a  prominent  official  position  in  the  Western  Gas 
Association,  presented  a  resolution  favoring  the  holding  of  a 
Congress  of  the  Gas  Associations  of  America,  in  connection 
with  the  St.  Louis  Fair,  and  urging  the  appointment  of  a 
committee  to  consider  the  possibility  and  advisability  of 
attempting  such  a  Congress. 

This  Committee  was  appointed  with  Mr.  C.  J.  R.  Humphreys 
.•as  chairman,  and  in  due  time  reported  favorably  on  the  pro- 
position, and  the  Committee  was  entrusted  with  the  task  of 
taking  the  Congress  in  hand,  issuing  invitations  to  the  other 
Associations  to  take  part  in  the  Congress,  and  in  general 
shouldering  the  responsibility  of  the  arrangements  for  the 
meeting. 

In  this  work,  which  they  have  so  well  and  thoroughly  done, 
they  were  ably  assisted  by  the  man  to  whose  initiative  the 
calling  of  the  Congress  is  primarily  due. 

It  is,  therefore,  with  especial  pleasure  and  a  sense  of  the 
fitness  of  things  that  while  I  am  reading  my  address  I  turn 
this  Congress  over  to  its  originator,  and  I  introduce  to  you  a 
man  who  needs  no  introduction — a  man  whose  name  is  known 
all  over  the  gas  world  as  that  of  one  whose  original 
mind  is  most  fertile  in  ideas,  and  who  has  the  rare  courage 
and  the  ability  to  carry  these  ideas  into  successful  and 


\ 


9 

triumphant  practice — I  introduce  to  you  the  President  of  the 
Western  Gas  Association,  Mr.  Frederick  H.  Shelton. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Shelton)  :  Gentlemen,  you  will 
please  listen  to  the  reading  of  the  address  by  Mr.  Rollin 
Norris. 

Mr.  Norris  then  read  the  following 

OPENING    ADDRESS 

In  addressing  a  Congress  of  American  Gas  Associations,  it 
would  seem  particularly  fitting  to  say  something  in  regard  to 
the  unsolved  problems  of  our  profession,  and  to  indicate  some 
of  the  lines  along  which  it  is  possible  that  further  progress 
may  lead  us.  While  much  has  been  done  in  the  past  in  the 
way  of  improving  and  cheapening  our  product,  the  future  is 
rich  in  possibilities  of  further  increase,  and  it  is  these  possi- 
bilities that  give  to  the  profession  of  gas  engineering  its 
absorbing  interest  to  us. 

We  will  consider  in  turn  some  of  these  lines  of  possible 
progress. 

CHEAPER    RAW    MATERIALS. 

WATER   GAS. 

We  will  first  take  up  the  possibility  of  reducing  the 
cost  of.  gas  by  the  use  of  cheaper  raw  materials. 

The  ordinary  generator  fuel  for  water  gas  is  either  anthra- 
cite coal,  oven  coke,  or  gas  coke.     While  it  is  probable  that  in 
the  near  future  we  will  see  some  red  uction  in  the 
.RATOR    CQSt  Q£  anthracite  and  a  considerable  reduction 
in  the  cost  of  oven  coke,  we  can  look  for  no 
permanent  and  material  reduction   in  the  cost  of  these  two 
materials,  or  in  the  cost  of  gas  coke,   which  varies  roughly 
with  the  cost  of  these  other  forms  of  smokeless  fuel. 

Pea  coal,   or  other  small-sized   anthracite  fuel,   offers  us  a 

possible  generator  fuel  at  a  smaller  cost  per  pound  of  carbon 

than  the  ordinary  sizes,  and  it  is  quite  possible 

PEA    COAL        ,  , 

that    by   the    use    of    a    larger    generator  and 
specially  designed  grates,  this  cheaper  material  can  be  used  to 


10 

advantage,   and  the  interest  on  the  slightly  greater  cost  of 
apparatus  would  not  be  important. 

The  use  of  coke  breeze  or  other  fine  fuel  in  the  form  of 

..COKE        briquettes  is  also  a  possibility  in  some  places, 

BREEZE      which  would  seem  to  promise  some  economy. 

There  are  considerable  sections  of  the  country  where  soft 

coal  is  locally  produced  at  a  price  materially  less  than  that  of 

anthracite  or  coke,  and  the  use  of  this  soft  coal 

SOFT    COAL    . 

in  generators  is  a  held  which  it  seems  to  me  has 
not  yet  been  fully  worked.  The  Loomis,  the  Rew,  and  the 
Rose- Hastings  processes  have  all  handled  this  material  with  a 
certain  degree  of  success,  and  although  they  have  been 
almost  if  not  entirely  displaced  by  apparatus  using  hard 
generator  fuel,  I  cannot  believe  that  the  last  word  on  this 
subject  has  yet  been  spoken. 

There  seems  no  prospect  of  any  material   reduction  in  the 
cost  of  boiler  fuel  per  ton,  or  of  finding  any  substitute  for  the 
kinds  of  fuel  now  used.     Tar  can  be  success- 
fully used  for  boiler  fuel,   but  eventually  this 
residual  ought  to  be  made  too  valuable  for  other 
purposes  to  allow  of  using  it  under  our  boilers. 

The  most  important  item  in  the  cost  of  water  gas  is  the 
price  of  oil,  and  while  the  price  of  this  material  in  the  past 
has  varied  in  a  rather  unsatisfactory  way,  the 
material  itself  is  evidently  so  widely  distributed 
that  it  would  seem  unlikely  that  the  price  can  advance  much 
beyond  its  present  figure  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  as  long  as 
the  conditions  of  this  industry  allow  the  price  to  be  main- 
tained at  a  point  just  short  of  where  it  would  pay  the  gas 
engineer  to  go  back  to  the  production  of  coal  gas,  we  can,  I 
fear,  look  for  no  very  material  permanent  reduction  in  the 
price  of  oil. 

The  discovery  of  large  quantities  of  oil  at  or  near  the  sea 
coast,  where  water  transportation  would  be  possible,  would 
simplify  this  problem  for  the  large  sea  coast  cities,  and, 
incidentally,  in  so  far  as  the  price  of  oil  depends  upon  supply 
and  demand,  tend  to  reduce  the  price  of  oil  to  the  inland 
cities  by  reducing  the  sea  coast  demand  for  inland  oil. 


11 

COAL    GAS. 

Referring  to  gas  coal,  here  again,  aside  from  fluctuations 
due  to  variation  in  demand  and  the  waves  of  prosperity 
and  adversity  that  sweep  over  the  country,  we  can  look  for 
no  material  reduction  in  the  cost  of  raw  material. 

The  possibilities  in  the  way  of  cheaper  raw  materials, 
therefore,  are  not  particularly  promising  or  important,  for 
either  water  gas  or  coal  gas. 

INCREASED  EFFICIENCY  AND  REDUCED  WASTES. 

INCREASED    EFFICIENCY — WATER    GAS. 

The  conditions  which  make  for  a  minimum  consumption  of 

generator  fuel  per  M  ft.  of  water  gas  made  are,  that  during 

the  blow  we  must  burn  as  large  a  proportion  as 

GENERATOR  -ui    '      r  ^  AC 

possible  of  our  carbon  to  carbonic  acid,  and  ot 

the  heat  thus  generated  the   amount  escaping 

from  the  generator  as  sensible  heat  should  be  a  minimum. 

These  conditions  are  met  with  when  the  generator  fire  is  at  a 

low  temperature. 

During  the  run,  however,  we  should  decompose  a  maxi- 
mum proportion  of  the  steam  with  a  minimum  proportion  of 
carbonic  acid,  and  this  calls  for  a  hot  fire. 

In  other  words,  the  conditions  for  greatest  economy  during" 
the  blow  are  the  exact  opposite  of  those  for  greatest  economy 
during  the  run,  and  the  actual  point  of  net  maximum 
economy  lies  between  the  two  extremes. 

An  ordinary  lyowe  water  gas  apparatus  demands  that  a 
certain  amount  of  heat  be  stored  in  the  fixing  chambers 
during  the  blow,  and  the  necessity  for  supplying  this  heat 
roughly  fixes  a  minimum  limit  beyond  which  it  is  impossible 
to  get  much  reduction  in  generator  fuel  per  M,  unless  we  can 
in  some  way  return  to  the  apparatus  the  heat  now  wasted  as 
sensible  heat  of  escaping  products. 

In  this  connection  the  Dellwik  process  naturally  comes  to 
mind,  but  this  so-called  process  is,  it  seems  to  me,  merely  a 
sort  of  "  codification  "  of  already  existing  knowledge,  and  an 
application  of  this  knowledge  to  the  special  problem  of  pro- 
ducing an  uncarburetted  water  gas  with  a  minimum  fuel 


12 

•consumption,      unhampered     by     the    necessity     of     fixing 
carburetting  oil. 

Steam  boilers  have,  when  properly  constructed  and  operated, 
quite  a  high  efficiency,  and  it  would  seem  that  if  we  are  to 
look  for  any  reduction  in  the  amount  of  boiler 
BOILER  use(^  jt  must  ke  dUe  either  to  the  utilization 


FUEL 

of  some  such  waste  as  the  heat  of  our  escaping 
products,  or  we  must  in  some  way  reduce  the  consumption  of 
steam  per  M. 

Our  generators  now  use  about  30  to  32  Ibs.  of  water  per  M 
ft.  of  gas  made,  and  of  this  steam  only  50  per  cent,  is  actually 
converted  into  gas. 

In  other  words,  if  we  decomposed  all  the  steam  admitted 
to  the  generators,  it  would  result  in  a  reduction  of  about  15 
Ibs.  of  steam  per  M  ft.  of  gas  made,  or,  roughly,  a  saving  of 
from  2  to  2}4  Ibs.  of  boiler  fuel  per  M. 

The  proportion  of  steam  decomposed  during  the  early  part 
of  the  run  is  much  larger  than  during  the  last  few  minutes  of 
the  run,  and  this  seems  to  point  towards  the  desirability  of 
shorter  runs,  and  possibly  to  a  graded  admission  of  steam 
instead  of  following  the  usual  custom  of  admitting  steam  at  a 
constant  rate  throughout  the  entire  run. 

The  exhaust  steam  from  our  blowing  engines  amounts  to 
from  15  to  30  Ibs.  of  water  per  M  ft.  of  gas  made,  and  while 
this  heat  is  at  present  used  in  a  more  or  less  intermittent  way 
for  the  heating  of  feed  water,  and  for  miscellaneous  heating 
around  the  works  in  winter  time,  it  would  seem  that  it  ought 
to  be  available  for  use  in  the  generators.  It  is  quite  possible 
that  on  account  of  the  large  amount  of  entrained  water  carried 
by  this  exhaust  steam  it  would  have  to  be  subjected  to  some 
re-heating  action,  and  this  could  readily  be  done  by  passing  it 
through  a  heater  in  the  take-off  pipe. 

With  our  present  apparatus  we  seem  to  have  reached  about 

the  limit  of  efficiency,  and  we  cannot  expect  much  increase  by 

any    modification    of    heats   carried.      Further 

EFFICIENCY    increase  *n  efficiency  may  result  from  the  appli- 

cation of  some  such  principle  as  that  employed 

in  the  Peebles  Process,   by  which  an  endeavor  is   made   to 

break  up  a  small  proportion  of  the  oil  into  permanent  high 


13 

candle  power  hydrocarbons,  and  then,  by  condensing  out  the 
condensable  vapors  and  treating  them  again,  the  final  result 
is  supposed  to  be  that  a  larger  proportion  of  the  oil  is  con- 
verted into  these  desirable  hydrocarbons  than  is  t.he  case  when, 
as  in  ordinary  practice,  we  endeavor  to  complete  the 
gasification  of  the  oil  in  one  treatment. 

A  synthetic  production  of  permanent  hydrocarbon  gases  of 
greater  or  less  illuminating  value  offers  some  promise,  but 
here  we  get  into  the  domain  of  elaborate  chemical  research 
where  prophecy  is  especially  dangerous. 

INCREASED    EFFICIENCY — COAI,    GAS. 

There  is  more  or  less  ferment  among  coal  gas  makers  just 
now  in  regard  to  the  best  size  and  shape  of  retorts,  style  and 
arrangement  of  setting,  and  horizontals  vs.  inclines, 
but  there  is  really  nothing  radically  new  in  these  matters 
or  any  promise  of  marked  improvement  over  the  best  results 
that  have  already  been  attained  at  various  places.  It  would, 
therefore,  appear  that  if  we  are  to  look  for  important 
advance  in  this  branch  of  our  business  it  will  be  along 
some  such  radical  lines  as  the  use  of  very  small  retorts  and 
short  charges,  the  retorts  probably  being  charged  and  dis- 
charged mechanically. 

The  Settle -Padfi eld  Process  may  and  may  not  lead  to 
important  developments  in  coal  gas  practice,  but  it  is  along 
some  such  fundamentally  changed  lines  as  these  that  we  must 
look  for  any  large  improvement  in  coal  gas  manufacture. 

Increased  knowledge  of  what  happens  to  the  gas  during 
the  process  of  condensation  may  lead  to  improved  methods  in 
this  field  which  will  enable  us  to  get  higher  candle  power 
from  our  present  coals,  as  it  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  the 
process  of  condensation  that  the  vapors  coming  down  in  the 
liquid  form  bring  down  in  solution  a  certain  proportion  of 
hydrocarbons  which  are  normally  gaseous,  and  would  remain 
in  the  gas  if  they  were  not  thus  carried  down  by  the 
condensing  tars. 

REDUCED    WASTES — WATER    GAS. 

A  more  promising  field  for  possible  economy  lies  in  the 
reduction  in  the  wastes  of  the  process  as  represented  in  the 


14 

sensible  and  potential  heats  of  the  escaping  blast  products, 
and  the  sensible  heat  of  the  finished  gas  leaving  the 
superheater. 

In  1891  I  had  the  honor  of  reading  before  the  American 
Gas  Light  Association  a  paper  on  ' '  The  Theoretical  Effect  of 
Pre-Heating  Blast,  Steam  and  Oil  in  Water  Gas  Manufacture," 
in  which  I  went  somewhat  fully  into  the  possibilities  of 
economy  along  these  lines,  and  I  will  quote  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent  from  this  paper,  the  constants  in  which  are  taken 
from  that  classic  in  water  gas  literature  on  which  the  advance 
in  the  technical  side  of  water  gas  manufacture  has  been  so 
largely  based.  I  refer,  of  course,  to  the  paper  read  by  Mr. 
Arthur  G.  Glasgow  before  the  American  Gas  Light  Associa- 
tion in  1890  entitled  "The  Practical  Efficiency  of  an 
Illuminating  Water  Gas  Set." 

The  sensible  heat  of  the  escaping  carburetted  gas  carries  off 
about  35,000  heat  units,  which  is  equivalent  to  about  2.5  Ibs. 
of  carbon  per  M  ft.  of  gas  made,  and  the  heat  carried  off  by 
the  escaping  blast  products  amounts  to  about  75,000  heat 
units,  or  5.5  Ibs.  of  carbon.  In  other  words,  the  sensible 
heat  of  the  carburetted  gas  and  blast  products  amounts  to  an 
equivalent  of  about  8  Ibs.  of  carbon,  or,  roughly,  about  9  Ibs. 
of  generator  fuel  per  M.  This  sensible  heat  can  be  utilized 
for  pre-heating  the  steam  and  oil  and  blast,  or  actually 
generating  the  steam. 

Steam  has  a  small  heat-carding  capacity,  and  the  direct 
saving  to  be  expected  from  superheating  it  would  be  from 
one-quarter  to  one-half  pound  of  coal.  The  capacity  of  oil 
for  absorbing  heat  is  also  small  unless  the  pre-heating  be  car- 
ried far  enough  to  evaporate  part  of  the  oil,  and  the  heat  to 
be  returned  to  the  set  due  to  raising  the  temperature  of  the 
oil  500  degrees  would  be  roughly  equal  to  only  a  little  over 
half  a  pound  of  coal. 

Pre-heating  the  blast  offers  a  more  promising  field,  and  the 
saving  to  be  thus  effected,  assuming  that  we  can  design  a 
blast  heater  which  would  be  satisfactory,  is  from  2  to  8  Ibs. 
of  coal  per  M  ft.  of  gas  made,  due  to  the  heat  actually 
returned  to  the  apparatus  by  the  hot  air.  There  would  also 
be  an  additional  saving  of  the  heat  usually  lost  during  the 


15 

blow  in  re-evaporating,  and  in  decomposing  the  steam  con- 
densed out  in  the  lower  part  of  the  fire  during  the  run,  as 
with  pre-heated  blast  the  ash  temperatures  would  be  normally 
above  the  boiling  point  of  water. 

There  would  be  other  incidental  economies,  such  as  the 
more  complete  combustion  of  coal,  a  smaller  formation  of 
cinder,  involving  less  frequent  cleaning  of  fires,  and  also  a 
shorter  time  required  for  the  blow,  and  consequent  increase 
in  the  daily  capacity  of  the  set. 

There  is,  however,  another  field  for  the  utilization  of  this 
sensible  heat  of  escaping  blast  products  which  should  be  borne 
in  mind.  .  As  previously  stated,  the  maximum  direct  saving 
to  be  expected  from  pre-heating  steam  is  from  one-quarter  to 
one-half  pound  of  coal,  but  it  seems  entirely  practicable  to 
utilize  the  waste  heat  of  the  escaping  blast  products  for 
generating  the  steam  required  in  the  sets,  and  this  of  course 
would  give  us  a  much  larger  possible  heat  absorption  than 
simply  pre-heating  the  steam.  The  heat  carried  by  the 
escaping  blast  products  is  sufficient  to  evaporate  about  75  Ibs. 
of  water  per  M  ft.  of  gas,  and  the  steam  required  in  the 
generators  is  about  32  Ibs.  per  M  ft.  of  gas  niade,  so  that  the 
blast  products  ought  to  be  able  to  supply  the  generators  with 
all  the  steam  they  need,  and  leave  a  possible  margin  for  other 
purposes. 

The  usual  way  of  endeavoring  to  save  the  heat  of  the 
escaping  blast  products  is  by  the  use  of  a  multitubular  boiler, 
and  some  recent  experiments  with  an  apparatus  of  this  sort 
showed  an  evaporation  of  about  30  Ibs.  of  water  per  M  ft.  of 
gas  made.  A  steam  generator  which  has  certain  advantages 
over  the  multitubular  boiler  is  a  checker-filled  chamber,  some- 
what like  an  ordinary  superheater,  through  which  the 
escaping  blast  products  could  be  passed,  and  in  which  any 
excess  of  CO  could  be  burned  by  the  admission  of  additional 
secondary  air.  During  the  run,  hot  water  could  be  sprayed 
into  this  chamber  in  regulated  quantity,  and  be  converted 
into  steam  which  would  be  superheated  and  passed  to  the 
generators.  Exhaust  steam,  as  previously  mentioned,  could 
be  used  to  supply  part  of  the  steam  needed,  and  in  passing 


16 

through  this  checker-filled  chamber  it  would  be  freed  from 
entrained  water  and  be  superheated. 

Mr.  Glasgow,    in  the  paper  already   alluded  to,  gives  the 

loss  by  radiation  and  convection   under  the  conditions  of  his 

experiments  as  equivalent  to  the  energy  of  about 

LOSS  BY     2  v^g   0£  coai   ancj  jt  would  seem  possible  to  save 

RADIATION  .  r- *.«.-     -i  t,  •       •       1 

AND          a  portion  of  this  loss  by  an  air  jacket  around 
CONVECTION  tne  shells  through  which  the  blast  can  be  passed 
on  its  way  to  the  sets.     This  construction  has 
been  used  by  Mr.  Edgerton  at  Danbury  and  elsewhere. 

REDUCED    WASTES — COAL    GAS. 

The  wastes  in  coal  gas  practice  are  somewhat  more  compli- 
cated, and,  in  a  way,  harder  to  control.  It  would  seem  that 
the  loss  by  radiation  cannot  be  largely  reduced  by  any 
practicable  method,  but  the  total  heat  escaping,  as  sensible 
heat  of  chimney  gases,  is  large  in  the  aggregate,  and  would 
seem  to  be  more  than  is  required  for  the  production  of  the 
necessary  draft  for  the  furnaces. 

These  waste  chimney  gases  carry  also  a  certain  amount  of 
potential  energy  in  the  form  of  H2O  resulting  from  the  use  of 
steam  in  the  fires,  and  this  loss  could  be  reduced  by  returning 
a  portion  of  the  blast  products  through  the  fire  instead  of 
steam,  the  CO2  serving  as  a  heat  carrier  from  the  furnace  to 
the  combustion  chamber  instead  of  H2O.  This  is  not 
unknown  in  producer  gas  practice,  and  has,  I  believe,  been 
experimented  with  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  coal  gas 
benches. 

MISCELLANEOUS    COSTS. 

The  use  of  machinery  in  larger  works,  and  the  simplifying 

of  such  machinery  so  as  to  cheapen  it,  and  put  it  within  the 

reach  of  the  smaller  works,  offers    some    hope 

LABOR       of  reduction  in  labor  costs    to    compensate    for 

the    general   tendency  toward   increased  wages 

and  shorter  hours,   but,   except  in  coal  gas,  the  margin  for 

saving  in  labor  per  M  is  not  very  great  in  well-conducted 

works. 


17 


Purification  has  reached    a  point  where,   with  the  proper 

apparatus,  the  total  cost  for  material  and  labor  is 

very  small,  and  the  principal  cost  of  purification 

at   present  is  the  interest   on   the  cost   of   the 

purification  plant,  to  which  allusion  will  be  made  later. 

It  is  quite  possible   that  we    may  see   some   considerable 

advance  in  the  way  of  increasing  our  returns  from  residuals. 

The  principal  residual  in  water  gas  manufacture 

INCREASED       .          /  ,    T    ,     .. 

RESIDUAL  1S'  °  course>  tar>  and  *  believe  that  there  is  a 
RETURNS  fertile  field  for  investigation  in  the  utilization  of 
this  residual  by  separating  the  tar  into  its  various 
distillates,  and  working  up  uses  for  this  special  material. 
This,  however,  is  a  subject  which  demands  an  amount  of 
specialization  and  skilled  research  which  is  not  usually  avail- 
able, except  for  the  largest  works,  but  it  is  a  subject  which 
would  seem  to  commend  itself  as  a  suitable  one  for  As.socia- 
tion  Work,  if  we  ever  reach  the  point  where  the  gas  industry 
as  a  whole  would  see  the  advantage  of  contributing  to  the 
support  of  work  of  this  sort  for  the  general  good  of  the 
profession. 

MISCP;LLANEOUS  PROCESSED 

I  have  spoken  so  far  only  of  ordinary  water  gas  and  coal  gas 
processes,  but  there  are  other  processes  which,  in  the  course 
of  events,  may  have  an  important  bearing  on  our  business. 

Straight  oil  gas  in  the  present  state  of  the  art  seems  useless 
except  for  very  small  installations  where  the  selling  price  per 
unit  is  high,  but  a  very  low  priced  supply  of  oil  might  well, 
alter  these  conditions. 

Producer  gas  is  so  low  in  heating  value  as  to  be  unpromising 
in  its  possibilities. 

Straight  water  gas  enriched  with  benzol  or  its  equivalent 
does  not  seem  to  be  adapted  to  American  conditions. 

Acetylene  is  used  in  between  100  and  150  small  towns  and 
settlements  in  the  United  States  for  lighting,  but  the  average 
number  of  meters  supplied  is  only  30  to  40,  and  the  price  of 
gas  runs  from  $10  to  $15  per  M,  so  in  spite  of  the  number  of 
places  where  it  is  used,  it  may  be  said  to  have  no  direct  bear- 
ing on  the  gas  industry  as  a  whole  ;  but  if  acetylene  or  its 


18 

equivalent  could  be  produced  at  a  sufficiently  low  cost,  it 
would  very  materially  cheapen  our  product. 

Coke  oven  gas  is  essentially  a  process  of  making  coke  with 
a  certain  or  uncertain  amount  of  gas  as  a  by-product.  Under 
certain  conditions  it  certainly  does  have  an  important  local 
importance  as  a  source  of  partial  supply  of  gas,  but  in  the 
nature  of  things  the  process  cannot  be  generally  utilized. 

If  we  could  get  a  sufficiently  cheap  supply  of  oxygen  which 
would  be  practically  free  from  the  presence  of  nitrogen,  the 
entire  -gas  business  would  be  revolutionized,  as  we  would  be 
able  to  manufacture  a  sort  of  producer  gas  which  would  be 
practically  free  from  non-combustible  and  which  would  carry, 
in  the  form  of  gas,  almost  the  entire  heating  value  of  the  fuel 
from  which  it  was  made.  An  unlimited  supply  of  oxygen  not 
combined  with  other  elements  is  available  in  the  air,  and  there 
would  seem  to  be  no  reason  why  the  advance  of  science  should 
not  eventually  give  us  some  way  of  straining  out  the  nitrogen, 
so  as  to  leave  us  the  oxygen  for  our  purposes. 

In  this  connection  I  would  refer  you  to  two  editorials  on 
this  subject  in  the  Progressive  Age,  March  16  and  April  15, 
1891. 

Better  utilization  of  our  product  is  equivalent  to  a  reduction 
of  price,  and  the  prospect  for  improved  appliances  for  the 
utilization  of  gas  are  good.  The  incandescent  burner,  with  its 
high  lighting  efficiency,  is  being  constantly  improved  and 
cheapened,  and  its  increasing  use  is  making  us  more  and  more 
independent  of  the  flat  flame  candle-power  of  the  gas 
we  send  out,  and  we  should  be  able  to  expect  still  further 
improvements  in  this  system  of  lighting. 

Gas  stoves  for  cooking  are  rapidly  coming  into  almost  uni- 
versal use  in  summer,  and  no  radical  change  or  improvement 
in  their  design  seems  probable. 

The  efficiency  of  gas  heating  appliances  when  properly 
designed  is  already  very  high,  and  is  only  limited  by  the 
necessity  for  getting  rid  of  the  products  of  combustion,  when 
the  rate  of  consumption  is  high.  But  the  cost  of  gas  made  by 
present  processes  is  so  high  that  there  seems  no  prospect  of 
our  being  able  to  do  any  large  proportion  of  our  heating  work 


19 

under  present  conditions.  The  discovery  of  a  sufficiently 
cheap  method  of  isolating  oxygen,  however,  as  already  dis- 
cussed, would  practically  wipe  out  of  existence  our  present 
system  of  heating  houses  by  isolated  coal  furnaces,  as  it  would 
enable  us  to  deliver  in  a  gaseous  form  nearly  all  of  the  heat  of 
the  coal. 

GENERAL. 

Up  to  this  point  I  have  spoken  exclusively  of  the  technical 
side  of  our  problem  and  the  possibility  of  reducing  that  part 

INTEREST  °^  ^e  cost  of  our  gas  represented  by  material 
CHARGES  ON  an<^  labor.  There  is  another  phase  of  this 

INVEST-  question,  however,  which  is  perhaps  equally 
ME  NT  important.  The  actual  cost  of  gas  as  delivered 
to  the  burner  is  represented  not  only  by  the  cost  of  material 
and  labor  entering  into  its  manufacture  and  distribution,  but 
to  this  must  be  added  the  interest  on  the  investment  in  the  plant 
required  for  its  production  and  distribution.  Speaking  roughly, 
interest  at  6  percent,  is  about  equal  to  the  entire  holder  cost  of 
the  gas,  and  at  10  percent,  it  would  be  almost  double  the  holder 
cost.  In  other  words,  a  reduction  of  10  per  cent,  in  the  cost 
of  plant  per  M  feet  of  gas  sold  would  reduce  the  actual  burner 
cost  of  the  gas  an  amount  equal  to  from  10  to  nearly  20  per 
cent,  of  the  holder  cost. 

The  interest  charge  on  the  investment  can  be  reduced  by 
lessening  the  cost  of  the  plant  by  the  invention  of  cheaper 
apparatus  for  its  manufacture  and  distribution,  by  the  inven- 
tion of  low  cost  apparatus  which  will  enable  the  gas  to  be 
made  at  the  time  of  demand,  thus  reducing  the  amount  of 
necessary  investment  in  holders,  or  any  improvement  in 
methods  which  tends  to  produce  high  yields  and  rapid  make 
from  existing  apparatus. 

The  interest  charge  will  also  be  reduced  by  any  development 
which  tends  toward  a  more  uniform  send-out  per  hour  and  per 
day,  thus  increasing  the  amount  of  gas  that  a  given  plant  can 
sell  per  year  ;  and  larger  sales  per  square  mile  of  territory  will 
also  reduce  this  item  of  interest  charge  by  reducing  the  cost  of 
the  distribution  plant  per  unit  of  gas  sold. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  fact  that  the  cost  of  gas  is  the  cost  of 


20 

labor  and  material  entering  into  its  manufacture,  plus  interest 
on  the  necessary  investment.  It  is  evident, 
therefore,  that  the  cost  of  gas  will  vary  according 

INTEREST  *°  ^^e  ra*e  a^  wn^cn  the  nioney  required  for  the 
construction  of  the  plant  can  be  borrowed,  and 
the  lower  the  rate  of  interest  at  which  the  gas  company  can 
borrow  nioney,  the  lower  the  cost  of  the  gas.  As,  in  the 
long  run,  the  price  of  gas  depends  upon  the  cost  of  gas,  it 
would  seem  to  be  to  the  advantage  of  the  public  in  general 
to  encourage  the  development  of  conditions  which,  by  making 
gas  investments  additionally  safe,  will  correspondingly  reduce 
the  rate  of  interest  at  which  money  can  be  borrowed  by  gas 
companies. 

Gas  companies  should  be  able  to  borrow  their  capital  at  a 
very  low  rate  of  interest,  if  the  conditions  were  such  as  to 
insure  the  absence  of  possible  destructive  competition  from 
other  gas  companies,  and  the  presence  of  conservative  financing 
which  would  make  the  amount  on  which  interest  must  be  paid 
fairly,  representative  of  the  cost  of  the  plant.  As  additional 
conditions  tending  to  the  stability  of  gas  investments,  and  con- 
sequently to  the  power  of  borrowing  capital  at  low  interest 
rates,  there  should  be  some  equitable  and,  if  possible,  automatic 
system  of  regulating  the  selling  price  of  gas  that  would  pro- 
tect the  company  alike  from  the  raids  of  the  transient 
politician  and  from  the  effect  of  unusual  increases  in  the 
market  price  of  labor  and  materials. 

To  these  conditions,  however,  if  we  wish  to  insure  a  maxi- 
mum technical  progress,  and  an  eventual  minimum  price  for 
gas,  must  be  added  the  condition  that  exceptional  energy  and 
ability  in  the  management  must  be  able  to  realize  exceptional 
returns. 

Where  the  system  of  municipal  or  State  control  is  such  that 
the  public,  and  only  the  public,  gets  the  advantage  of  any 
efficiency  in  the  management  above  the  average,  the  personal 
interest  in  improvement  is  wiped  out  and  the  industry  as  a 
whole  will  no  longer  attract  the  services  of  the  best  intellects. 

A  satisfactory  solution  of  these  problems  belonging  really 
to  Social  Science,  I  believe  would  do  as  much  toward  reducing 
the  price  of  gas  and  maintaining  the  standard  of  technical 


21 

progress,  as  is  promised  by  the  strictly  scientific  side  of  our 
business,  and  we  may  well  devote  a  part  of  our  energy  toward 
helping  to  solve  these  difficulties. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  these  problems  to  which  I  have  alluded 
are  the  only  ones  that  confront  our  business,  but  they  serve  to 
show  roughly  the  field  before  us,  and  perhaps  to  indicate  some 
of  the  lines  along  which  progress  is  possible. 

To  the  younger  men  among  us  a  realization  of  the  amount 
that  we  do  not  know  should  be  a  spur  to  redoubled  effort  to 
surmount  these  difficulties,  and  we  should  be  strengthened  by 
that  high  conception  of  duty  that  recognizes  the  obligation 
resting  upon  every  man  to  do  what  he  can  to  advance  the 
general  cause  of  knowledge  and  truth. 

The  gas  business  is  in  a  sense  young,  and  the  pioneers 
blazed  the  untrodden  path  to  success  with  a  skill  and  an 
energy  and  a  heartiness  that  challenges  our  admiration  and 
wonder.  Starting  from  the  vantage  point  thus  won  for  us  by 
our  predecessors,  we  rest  under  a  solemn  obligation  to  advance 
the  standard  of  knowledge  still  further. 

Reduced  cost  of  gas  means  more  than  simply  increased  earn- 
ings— in  the  long  run  it  inevita'bly  means  cheaper  gas  for  the 
public,  and,  consequently,  a  more  general  extension  of  the 
comfort  resulting  from  its  use. 

The  inspiration  of  the  engineer  comes  not  only — and  not 
chiefly — from  the  financial  returns  that  his  efforts  bring  to 
himself  and  to  his  company,  but  to  the  realization  of  the  joy 
that  comes  from  helping  to  do  the  world's  work  with  a  smaller 
expenditure  of  energy  in  the  form  of  labor  and  material.  To 
add  to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  mankind  by  bringing  con- 
veniences within  the  reach  of  a  widening  circle  is  an  end 
in  itself  worthy  of  our  manliest  effort,  and  in  itself  a  reward 
worth  all  the  cost  of  our  life  work. 

Toward  this  progress  Gas  Associations  and  their  work 
should  be  most  effective  factors,  and  every  man  should  feel  it 
his  duty  and  his  privilege  to  bring  to  these  Associations  a 
record  of  such  of  his  work  as  will  aid  his  neighbor  and  add  to 
the  general  fund  of  knowledge. 

The  most  effective  way  for  Associations  to  carry  out  their 
work  is  a  subject  that  will  be  presented  later  by  the  versatile 


22 

Editor  of  the  Question  Box  of  the  Ohio  Gas  Light  Association, 
and  I  will  close  by  saying  that  good  Association  work,  like 
any  other  good  work,  is  hard  work,  and  that  the  best  results 
are  to  be  obtained  when  all  are  striving  loyally  for  the  general 
good. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Shelton)  :  Gentlemen,  you  have  just 
listened  to  an  address  by  Mr.  Norris,  which  is  characterized 
by  broad  views  and  a  large  scope  in  the  variety  of  subjects  that 
have  been  treated  of  in  it.  The  address  is  brimful  of  knowledge, 
of  suggestions,  of  thoughts  and  points  which,  step  by  step,  as 
they  are  taken  up  and  worked  out  to  a  successful  conclusion, 
will  tend  toward  the  advancement  of  the  gas  business  the 
world  over.  The  paper  to  my  mind  amply  reflects  the  pro- 
priety of  the  choice  which  was  made  of  the  gentleman  who 
should  open  this  Congress — it  reflects  to  my  mind  the  suit- 
ability of  the  current  leader  of  the  American  Association  ; 
and  although  that  leader  is  a  young  man — by  his  own 
assertion — it  would  appear  from  the  number  of  topics  he  has 
touched  on,  and  the  variety  of  things  he  has  covered,  that  he 
must  be  like  the  little  pickaninny  who  was  asked  how  old  she 
was.  She  replied — "  I  am  ten  years  old  in  years,  but  judging 
by  the  fun  I  have  had,  I  am  fifty  years  old."  I  think  judging 
by  the  things  Mr.  Norris  has  covered,  and  the  ideas  he  has 
brought  to  our  attention  in  that  address,  that  he  must  be  120 
years  old. 

There  is  one  great  attraction  about  this  Congress  that  there 
has  never  been  about  a  previous  meeting  of  a  Gas  Association. 
There  is  no  "precedent  "  to  be  followed.  We  have  absolutely 
an  untrodden  course  before  us,  without  precedent.  We  shall 
have  to  establish  our  own  precedents,  which  we  hope  will  be 
followed  in  other  Congresses  from  time  to  time.  I  think  the 
proper  thing  to  do  would  be  to  have  Mr.  Norris'  address 
referred  to  a  committee  to  make  a  report  upon  it.  I  say  that 
for  this  reason — it  embodies  so  many  points  that  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  discuss  it  intelligently  without  a  copy  in  our 
hands  and  an  opportunity  for  its  perusal  ;  and  it  seems  to  me 
that  a  motion  to  have  the  address  referred  to  a  committee  who 
shall  report  to-morrow  with  any  recommendations  they  may 


23 

see  fit  to  make  concerning  the  publication  of  Mr.  Norris' 
address,  or  its  dissemination  so  that  we  shall  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  go  over  it,  would  be  the  proper  method  to 
pursue. 

MR.  THOMAS  D.  MILLER  (New  Orleans,  L,a.):  I  move  that 
the  address  by  Mr.  Norris  be  referred  to  a  committee. 
Motion  seconded. 

MR.  ROLLIN  NORRIS  (Philadelphia)  :  The  Chairman  is 
endeavoring  to  establish  a  precedent  for  which  it  seems  to  me 
there  is  little  need.  I  do  not  think  there  is  anything  in  the 
address  which  has  just  been  read  by  me  which  requires  the 
appointment  of  a  Committee  to  consider  it.  I  do  not  make 
any  recommendations  in  the  address,  and  it  treats  of  general 
principles,  so  it  seems  to  me  there  is  nothing  for  a  Committee 
to  say  in  regard  to  it,  except  that  they  might  feel  called  upon 
to  indulge  in  a  few  conventional  compliments  on  general 
principles.  The  paper  will  be  published  in  the  Proceedings  of 
the  Congress,  and  presumably  in  the  Gas  Journals,  and  if  any 
one  cares  to  read  it  he  can  get  a  copy  of  it  in  the  journals.  I 
appreciate  the  kind  words  the  Chairman  has  said,  but  there 
does  not  seem  to  me  to  be  any  necessity  fof~the  action  he 
suggests. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Sheltom  :  I  rule  the  speaker  out  of 
order. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  (Louisville,  Ky.)  :  A  motion  has 
been  made  and  seconded  to  refer  the  address  of  Mr.  Norris 
to  a  committee.  We  all  know  that  it  has  been  customary  to 
refer  such  an  address  to  a  special  committee  to  make  a  report 
upon  it,  with  such  recommendations  as  the  committee  may  con- 
sider necessary.  We  know  the  duties  of  such  committees,  as 
most  of  us  have  served  upon  them.  The  report  of  such  a 
committee  is  usually  in  the  nature  of  a  set  of  complimentary 
resolutions  with  reference  to  the  address. 

I  have  listened  carefully  to  the  address,  and  it  seems  to  me 
the  writer  has  most  admirably  steered  between  being  governed 
entirely  b}^  existing  practice,  and  being  carried  away  by  every 
new  theory  which  has  been  presented.  He  has  not  recom- 
mended a  thing  that,  to  my  mind,  does  not  show  deep  thought 


24 

on  his  part,  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  science  of  gas 
engineering  as  it  exists  to-day.  It  seems  to  me  there  is 
nothing  for  this  Congress  to  do  but  to  accept  that  address,  pro- 
vide for  its  publication,  and  to  say  all  that  can  be  said  in  praise 
of  the  general  level-headedness  which  the  author  has  shown  in 
writing  it. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Shelton)  :  It  seems  to  the  Chair 
entirely  proper  that  this  address  should  be  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee. If  the  committee  feels  there  is  no  necessity  for  making 
any  recommendations  with  relation  to  it,  the  committee  will  be 
sensible  enough  not  to  fill  up  space  with  any  such  recom- 
mendations ;  and  if  it  feels  that  all  it  is  necessary  to  say  are  a 
few  pleasant  words,  the  committee  can  say  these  words.  I 
will  therefore  put  the  motion.  (Motion  carried.") 

I  will  appoint  as  such  committee  Messrs.  E.  G.  Pratt  and 
A.  E.  Boardman. 

Mr.  Norris  resumed  the  chair. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Norris)  :  In  the  nature  of  things  it 
Is  going  to  be  difficult  for  the  various  chairmen  to  recognize 
and  call  by  name  the  various  men  who  arise  to  discuss  the 
subjects  before  us,  and  as  we  are  particularly  anxious  to  get 
the  name  of  each  speaker,  so  that  proper  credit  may  be  given 
for  the  remarks  which  are  made,  I  will  ask  that  on  rising  each 
man  will  kindly  give  his  name  and  city  before  starting  to 
discuss  the  matter  under  consideration.  This  will  be  a  great 
help  to  us.  The  stenographer  is  down  in  the  body  of  the 
lio.use  and  cannot  get  any  tip  from  those  on  the  platform  as  to 
the  names  of  those  who  may  discuss  papers. 

The  paper  selected  to  open  this  Congress  is  on  ' '  The  Labor 
Question,"  by  Mr.  F.  H.  Shelton,  of  Philadelphia.  Mr. 
Shelton' s  versatility  has  led  him  to  think,  and  think  well,  on 
almost  all  subjects  connected  with  the  gas  business,  and  I  will 
therefore  call  on  him  to  present  his  paper  on  the  labor  question. 
In  this  connection  I  will  say  that  this  paper  was  printed  and 
shipped  to  St.  L/ouis,  but  owing  to  the  confusion  in  regard  to 
the  express  service  printed  copies  have  not  arrived,  and  con- 
sequently they  cannot  be  distributed  amongst  the  delegates. 


25 

The  only  copy  in  hand  at  the  moment  is  the  one  from  which 
Mr.  Shelton  will  read. 

Mr.  Shelton  read  the  paper. 

THE  LABOR   QUESTION 

Of  the  many  subjects  that  are  appropriate  for  consideration 
and  discussion  by  a  Congress  of  Gas  Associations,  there  are 
few  of  more  importance  than  that  I  have  chosen. 

The  growing  prominence  of  the  labor  question,  the  diffi- 
culty of  solving  the  many  questions  that  it  involves,  the 
desirability  of  improving  present  conditions,  and  the  many 
points  of  view  possible,  make  it  peculiarly  suitable  as  a  sub- 
ject for  our  consideration. 

Many  pages  and  several  books  have  been  written -upon  it, 
and  the  ideas  presented  by  various  writers  are  almost  as  many 
as  the  writers.  I  have  not  an  extended  experience  that  I  am 
about  to  relate,  nor  am  I  about  to  present  a  long,  theoretical 
dissertation  upon  the  matter,  or  the  duties  of  the  workman, 
or  what  we  should  pay  for  labor,  which,  after  all,  would  be  but 
the  ideas  of  one  individual.  What  I  shall  address  myself  to, 
is  the  subject  of. the  improvement  of  the  relations  between 
gas  companies  and  their  employees,  with  a  statement  of  what 
has  been  done  in  the  United  States  in  such  way,  together  with 
some  suggestions  as  to  what  is  practically  feasible  in  bettering 
the  conditions  of  gas  company  workers — the  doctrine  being 
that  the  better  the  conditions  and  the  happier  the  relations 
between  company  and  employees,  the  greater  the  mutual 
advantage  and  profit ;  the  less  the  likelihood  of  strike  or  other 
trouble. 

In  all  company  operations,  there  are  various  relations  that 
the  employee  may  occupy.  He  may  be  merely  a  hired  man, 
without  consideration  of  any  sort,  or,  he  may  while  working 
on  pay-roll,  yet  be  a  partner  in  the  enterprise.  These  are  the 
opposite  extremes  ;  between  them  are  various  positions  that 
the  employee  may  occupy  ;  that  is,  there  are  various  features 
that  may  be  put  into  effect  — naturally,  by  the  employing 
company — that  will  improve  his  position  in  various  degrees 
beyond  that  of  the  mere  hired  man.  The  plans  for  improve- 


26 

ment  of  the  workman's  condition,  to  me,  group  into  four 
classes  : 

FIRST.  Where  he  is  the  recipient  of  physical  comforts  and 
pleasures,  donated  by-  the  company,  and  beyond  those  else- 
where customary. 

SECOND.  Where  in  addition  some  Mutual  Benefit  Associ- 
ation is  in  effect,  largely  promoted  and  supported  by  the 
company. 

THIRD.  Where  in  addition  there  is  a  division  of  the  profits 
of  the  business  from  time  to  time  by  the  company  voluntarily. 

FOURTH.  Where,  highest  of  all,  some  plan  is  in  effect 
wherein  the  employee  shares  in  the  profit  of  the  business,  not 
as  a  one-sided  bonus  or  charity,  but  as  a  full  partner,  through 
the  medium  of  some  co-operative  scheme. 

It  may  help  to  clarify  our  understanding  of  these  four  dif- 
ferent levels,  by  describing  practical  instances  of  each. 

First  step  :  Physical  comforts  and  pleasures. 

These  items  below  are  in  vogue  in  numerous  United  States 
gas  companies: 

The  providing  of  commodious  wash-rooms  or  lavatories, 
where  the  men  can  comfortably  change  their  clothes  and  wash, 
etc.  Such  rooms  usually  have  tubs,  shower  baths,  with  in- 
dividual keys  and  other  conveniences  in  marked  contrast  to 
some  conditions  of  indifference  as  to  how  the  men  are  fixed , 
no  facilities,  or  anything  being  good  enough. 

The  providing  of  a  mess  room,  or  dining  room,  with  a  gas 
range,  tables,  chairs,  etc.,  where  the  men  may  eat  their  meals, 
heat  coffee,  etc.,  more  comfortably  than  ordinarily.  The  full- 
est development  of  this  feature  includes  the  serving  by  the 
company  of  certain  meals,  or  foods,  at  cost  or  less,  to  the 
employees. 

The  company's  reducing  the  cost  of  living  to  its  employees 
by  giving  gas,  coal,  coke,  etc.,  free,  or  at  cost,  or  at  less  than 
the  regular  price. 

The  making  gifts  in  various  forms  ;  a  turkey,  or  a  five 
dollar  bill,  or  a  day  or  two  extra  pay  at  Christmas  or  Thanks- 
giving. 

The  giving  of  an  extra  day's  pay  per  month,  for  good 
record. 


27 

The  giving  of  occasional  half  holidays  without  loss  of  pay  ; 
the  non-docking  for  absence  for  illness,  or  other  good  cause. 
Employees'  insurance  and  doctors'  bills  is  one  form  of  this. 

The  giving  opportunity  to  make  extra  money  by  commis- 
sions allowed  on  new  customers,  business,  range  sales,  etc. 

The  providing  of  pleasures,  with  the  company's  compli- 
ments, such  as  picnics  in  the  summer,  dances  or  theatre 
parties  in  the  winter,  etc. 

All  the  above,  while  features  of  improving  the  employees' 
comfort  or  pleasure,  are  yet  far  short  of  the  things  that 
advance  his  position  or  earning  power. 

The  second  step  :    Mutual  Benefit  Associations. 

By  these  I  mean  Associations  usually  formed  by  the 
employees  to  advance  their  interests  in  various  ways,  but  with 
active  assent  and  support,  and  more  or  less  participation  on 
the  part  of  the  company. 

Such  Associations  can,  and  usually  do,  take  in  all  classes  of 
a  gas  company's  employees — works  men,  fitters,  office  men, 
etc.,  and  very  desirably,  as  one  element  tends  to  offset  another, 
so  that  no  one  end  runs  the  Association,  a  broader  joint  view 
results  and  all  members  better  understand  the  company's  work 
and  position.  Such  Associations  usually  meet  monthly  for 
discussion  of  the  business  and  methods  ;  have  annual  picnics 
and  dances  ;  are  apt  to  maintain  a  base  ball  team  ;  have  sick 
and  death  benefits,  etc.  If  really  run  for  such  purposes,  they 
are  enormously  desirable,  serving  to  make  a  better  under- 
standing and  to  minimize  misunderstandings  between  the  men 
and  the  company,  and  greatly  tend  to  reduce  the  likelihood 
of  union  and  strike  troubles.  If  they  are  run  as  Chapters  of 
labor  unions  in  disguise,  they  are  dangerous.  If  sincerely 
run,  the  company  can  aid  such  profitably,  but  it  must  not 
attempt  to  "  run  "  the  Association.  Such  is  fatal.  Unless  the 
company  lets  the  men  manage  it,  its  very  purpose  will  be 
neutralized.  The  practical  way  is  to  have  the  company  have 
a  few  memberships  in  the  Association  that  it  may  be  in  touch 
with  what  transpires,  or  is  proposed,  and  can  extend  its  greater 
experience  in  suggestion  and  advice.  If  any  bad  movement 
is  started  by  a  turbulent  element,  the  other  side  is  then  at 
least  fairly  presented,  and  if  the  by-laws  provide  that  funds 


28 

may  only  be  used  (except  for  sick  benefits  and  usual 
expenses)  for  special  purposes,  by  unanimous  vote,  the  com- 
pany's contributions  cannot  be  used  against  it  for  strike 
purposes. 

Such  organizations  among  the  men  are  admirable,  if  well 
conducted.  They  may  include  reading  rooms,  musicales, 
lectures  on  either  popular  or  gas  topics  that  interest  and 
instruct,  night  classes,  correspondence  schools,  educational 
work,  etc.,  and  annual  gatherings  that  the  local  press  and 
public  can  but  favorably  notice,  and  comment  upon  as  suc- 
cessful organizations  between  employees  and  employer,  the 
latter  largely  participating,  and  the  very  opposite  of  a  "  soul- 
less corporation."  A  company  can  well  afford  to  contribute, 
per  annum,  to  such  an  association  in  my  opinion,  an  amount 
equal  to  the  employees'  total  dues,  as  well  as  to  supply  head- 
quarters comfortably  fitted  up,  base  ball  uniforms,  a  billiard 
table,  or  other  acceptable  features  and  pleasant  yearly  sur- 
prises. 

In  my  opinion  also,  this  plan  is  perhaps  the  most  practical 
of  the  several  possible  things  for  improving  the  workman's 
condition,  especially  where  the  plans  that  I  have  still  to  refer 
to  are  too  ambitious,  or  for  some  reason  not  feasible.  This 
second  step,  however,  you  will  note,  does  not  give  the  work- 
man any  additional  real  money  to  his  regular  wages. 

The  third  step  :  Dividing  profits. 

It  may  be  said  that  extra  pay,  gifts  and  the  above-described 
features  are  profits  indirectly  divided.  While  this  in  a  sense 
is  so,  these  gifts  are  intermittent,  and  carry  but  little  recip- 
rocal obligation  on  the  part  of  the  workman.  He  accepts 
them  and  generally  appreciates  such  points  extended  by  the 
company,  but  has  no  especial  sense  of  his  having  to  do  much, 
if  anything,  in  return. 

The  underlying  idea  of  a  profit-sharing  plan  is  based  on  the 
principle  that  if  a  workman's  record  is  regularly  good,  and 
conforms  to  a  certain  standard  established  by  the  company 
(and  understood  by  the  employees) ,  then  the  latter  becomes 
entitled  at  regular  intervals  to  a  cash  bonus,  or  premium,  over 
and  above  the  regular  pay  for  his  work. 

Several  companies  have  extended  this  to  their  men,  in  this 


29 

country,  and  it  has  nearly  always  taken  the  shape  of  a  semi- 
annual dividend  (usually  at  the  rate  paid  the  company's 
stockholders)  upon  the  amount  of  the  men's  wages.  That 
is,  where  a  company  pays  5  per  cent,  a  year  to  its  stock- 
holders, a  man  getting  $1,000  pay  a  year  would  get  $50.00 
bonus,  provided  his  record  is  good  and  he  is  a  regular 
employee.  The  effect  of  this  is  to  give  the  workman  stock 
dividends  without  his  having  to  lay  out  or  buy  stock.  It  .is  a 
bonus  for  good  record  ;  it  is  a  dividing  of  the  company's 
profits,  but  it  is  but  a  gratuity  after  all. 

The  company  can  stop  it  at  will  and  the  employee  has  no 
rights,  nor  the  partnership  position,  feeling  and  stimulus  that 
a  true  co-operative  plan  involves. 

The  fourth  .step  :  Full  partnership. 

That  is  a  scheme  whereby,  in  addition  to  most  of  the  above 
features,  a  gas  company  has  further  a  plan  in  effect  whereby 
more  or  less  of  the  bonus  that  a  man  gets  in  "step  three"  must 
be  invested  in  the  company's  stock,  so  that  the  man  cannot 
dissipate  his  premium,  but  must  save  it,  becoming  a  stock- 
holder in  the  company,  thereby  having  his  proportion  of  its 
earnings  and  a  right  to  vote,  and  a  voice  in  its-management, 
i.  e.,  partnership  in  the  business. 

The  best  instance  of  such  plan  is  the  well-known  South 
Metropolitan  Company,  of  London,  wherein,  after  severe 
labor  troubles,  it  was  started  some  14  years  ago,  with  the 
result  to-day  that  among  some  4,000  men,  80  per  cent,  are 
stockholders  in  the  company,  having  steadily  purchased  about 
$950,000  of  the  shares,  strikes  are  unknown,  and  a  harmoni- 
ous labor  condition  is  in  effect  that  I  venture  to  say  is  the  envy 
of  most  of  the  other  Knglish  gas  companies. 

To  describe  in  detail  this  plan,  its  history  and  results,  would 
involve  more  time  than  is  here  permissible.  Those  interested 
will  find  it  well  described  in  the  gas  journals,  or  may 
communicate  with  me  for  specific  references. 

The  same  plan  in  substantial  points  is  in  vogue  in  the 
Crystal  Palace  District  Gas  Company,  and  the  Commercial 
Gas  Company,  both  of  London,  and  the  Chester  United  Gas 
Company,  England.  In  each  case  the  managers  have  written 
me  that  the  results  are  most  satisfactory. 


30 

In  connection  with  the  subject  it  is  of  interest  to  note  what 
has  been  done  or  not  done  on  such  lines  by  United  States  gas 
companies. 

Some  months  ago  I  addressed  a  circular  letter  of  inquiry  to 
all  of  the  gas  companies  in  this  country  and  in  Canada.  I 
received  a  large  number  of  replies  from  all  sections,  and  com- 
panies large  and  small.  From  such  I  am  in  position  to  say, 
generally  speaking,  that  as  yet  there  is  but  a  small  amount  of 
profit  sharing  on  the  lines  of  "  step  three  "  described,  and  but 
one  instance  of  "step  four,"  in  this  country,  to  my  knowl- 
edge. There  are  several  instances  of  mutual  benefit  associa- 
tions, several  very  successful — and  there  is  a  wide  variety  of 
instances  where  our  gas  companies  expend  quite  a  little  in  the 
way  of  conveniences  and  pleasures  to  the  men. 

The  interest  in  the  subject,  however,  was  most  marked. 
Many  replies  referred  to  its  importance,  and  the  desirability 
of  more  being  done  than  is  done,  and  such  replies  and 
thoughts  were  largely  the  warrant  for  my  presenting  to  you 
this  subject  for  discussion. 

In  a  very  few  cases  adverse  replies  were  received,  including 
one  notable  large  company,  to  the  effect  that  favors,  advan- 
tages, and  profits  shared  were  not  appreciated,  nor  worth 
while  ;  that  such  gave  a  bad  man  as  much  as  it  did  a  good 
man  (which  a  proper  plan  does  not) ;  that  gifts  soon  become 
looked  upon  as  a  matter  of  right  ;  that  more  money  meant 
more  drunkenness,  and  that  where  these  profit-sharing  ideas 
and  advantages  had  been  carried  out  there  was  just  as  much 
trouble,  and  no  apparent  resulting  benefit,  \vhen  strike 
troubles  came. 

I  cannot  subscribe  to  such  ideas,  or  feel  that  the}7  are  gen- 
erally right.  I  am  confident  that  the  great  majority  of  gas 
men  agree  that  in  the  main  such  things  DO  help,  and  that, 
other  things  being  equal,  the  company  IS  better  off  that  has 
a  record  of  sincere  endeavor  to  improve  its  men's  condition. 
And  while  undoubtedly  there  is  a  percentage  of  men  who 
jeer  at  a  company's  advances,  believing  that  such  conceals 
some  overt  aim,  I  believe  that  the  majority  of  men  in  the 
ranks  of  our  gas  companies'  employees  are  intelligent  enough, 
fair  enough  and  practical  enough  to  appreciate  rational 


31 

features  a  company  may  inaugurate  for  their  benefit.  And 
is  it  not  a  case  of  where  "  if  only  one  can  be  saved  "  efforts  in 
such  direction  are  worth  while  ? 

The  great  trouble  in  our  labor  situation  is  the  apparent 
indifference  of  men  to  the  company,  and  vice  versa — the  feel- 
ing that  the  relationship  is  measured  only  by  the  cents  per 
hour  paid.  But  if  human  instincts  and  proclivities  are  given 
half  a  chance,  the  better  feelings  quickly  respond  and  an 
immeasurably  better  relationship  and  understanding  follow. 
And  if  a  company  will  evidence  some  interest  in  its  men,  will 
go  out  of  its  way  to  improve  their  comfort,  increase  the  things 
that  make  life  interesting  to  them,  and  enlarge  their  pay — 
following  that  greatest  of  all  gospel,  the  Golden  Rule — 
surely  in  the  great  majority  of  cases  the  right  response 
will  be  found  and  both  men  and  employers  be  the  better  for  it. 

The  greatest  factor  in  the  success  of  such  mutual  benefit 
and  profit-sharing  plans,  to  my  mind,  is  the  interest,  enthusi- 
asm and  staying  powers  of  the  man  that  launches  it.  Many 
such  a  plan  has  been  started,  and  failure  has  often  resulted 
because  of  no  one  following  it  up.  All  approve  in  the 
abstract,  but  unless  some  one  works  in  the  concrete  failure 
may  easily  come.  Interest  flags,  attendance  falls  off,  and  the 
scheme  dies  of  dry-rot.  The  first  year  or  two  is  the  crucial 
period.  If  the  plan  survives  that,  it  will  last.  Unless  watched, 
nursed,  and  labored  with,  during  that  time,  by  the  gas  com- 
pany's manager,  earnest  enough,  broad  enough,  patient 
enough,  to  keep  up  interest,  and  do  half  the  work  for  awhile, 
it  will  probably  fail. 

In  the  United  States  the  company  at  Derby,  Conn.,  has  in 
vogue  a  stockholding,  partnership,  profit-sharing  plan.  In 
Milwaukee,  Grand  Rapids,  Madison,  Ann  Arbor,  and  doubt- 
less some  other  points,  a  cash  bonus  profit-sharing  plan  has 
been  in  vogue  for  some  time  and  with  some  success.  At 
Chester,  Pa.,  Lynchburg,  Va.,  Staten  Island,  N.  Y.,  and 
elsewhere,  very  successful  employees'  mutual  benefit  associa- 
tions are  in  full  swing.  And  at  many  places  numerous 
provisions  for  the  comfort  and  the  pleasure  of  the  men  have 
been  provided. 

I  earnestly  hope  that  representatives  from  these  places  are 


32 


in  this  Congress  and  will  freely  describe  the  plans  in  vogue r 
and  successes  and  failures  found  in  this  "labor  question," 
than  which  there  is  none  greater  in  the  conduct  of  our 
business. 


APPENDIX. 

(This  Appendix  was  not  read  at  the  meeting.) 

CO-PARTNERSHIP    CONFERENCE   AT  NEWCASTL,E-ON-TYNE, 

OCTOBER  HTH,  1899. 


PAPER  ON  THE  PROFIT-SHARING  SCHEME  OF  THE  SOUTH  METROPOLITAN- 
GAS  COMPANY,  ITS  HISTORY  AND  RESULTS,  BY  GEORGE  LIVESLY. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  I  suggested  a  sliding  scale  to  identify 
the  interests  of  gas  shareholders  and  gas  consumers.  Parlia- 
ment adopted  the  idea,  and  enacted  that  for  every  reduction 
below  a  fixed  standard  in  the  price  of  gas  of  one  penny  per 
1,000  feet  to  the  consumers  an  increase  of  one-quarter  per  cent, 
beyond  the  statutory  limit  was  permitted  in  the  dividends  of 
the  shareholders,  and  vice  versa,  an  increase  of  price  entailed  a 
corresponding  reduction  of  dividend.  It  thus  became  a  direct 
interest  of  the  shareholders  to  serve  the  consumers  well.  The 
system  has  worked  advantageously  to  both  shareholders  and 
consumers,  making  them  in  effect  partners. 

At  that  time  the  Board  of  Directors  was  advised  that  the 
system  could  not  be  considered  complete  until  it  included  the 
officers  and  workmen.  The  time,  however,  had  not  come  for 
this  extension,  and  did  not  arrive  until  1889,  when  it  was 
unanimously  adopted  by  the  Board,  and  has  now  been  in 
successful  working  ten  years. 

The  relations  of  the  South  Metropolitan  Gas  Company  with 
their  workmen  had  always  been  of  a  friendly  character  until 
after  the  granting  of  the  eight  hours  or  three  shifts  system  to 
the  stokers  in  1889.  This  had  been  offered  to  but  not  adopted 
by  the  men,  both  in  1887  and  1888  ;  consequently,  when  the 
request  was  made,  in  the  summer  of  1889,  on  the  instigation 
of  the  Gas  Stokers'  Union,  it  was  granted  at  once.  All  went 
well  for  a  few  weeks  only  ;  the  Union  had  got  all  that  it  asked 


33 

so  easily  that  further  demands — some  trifling,  some  serious — 
were  made  and  granted  rather  than  risk  a  strike,  which  was 
imminent  at  any  moment.  In  October,  1889,  a  suggestion 
was  made,  at  the  Board,  that  it  would  be  better  to  make 
friends  of  the  men  than  to  fight  them.  The  Directors  agreed, 
and  the  same  afternoon  the  outline  of  the  Profit-sharing 
Scheme  was  explained  to  ten  or  twelve  leading  workmen. 
They  all  approved,  but  those  who  were  members  of  the  Gas 
Workers'  Union  said  they  must  consult  the  delegates  before 
committing  themselves  to  its  acceptance.  The  Union  refused 
its  sanction,  demanding  that  the  Profit-sharing  money  should 
be  given  in  wages,  thus  excluding  all  the  stokers— about  two- 
thirds  of  the  Company's  workmen.  At  the  time  it  was  felt 
this  put  an  end  to  the  matter  ;  but  the  yard  men  and  mechanics 
let  it  be  known  that  they  did  not  see  why  they  should  be 
deprived  of  a  good  thing  because  it  was  refused  by  others. 
This  was  reported  to  the  next  meeting  of  the  Board,  when  it 
was  resolved  to  offer  participation  to  any  workmen,  many  or 
few,  who  chose  to  accept  it,  leaving  every  man  perfectly  free 
to  accept  or  reject  it,  with  no  restriction  or  condition  as  to 
membership  of  the  Union.  The  stokers  to  a  anan  refused  ; 
the  others — about  1,000  in  number — accepted  within  a  fort- 
night. The  act  or  condition  of  acceptance  was  the  signing  of 
an  agreement  for  12  months,  with  a  proviso  that  any  man 
might  leave  on  a  week's  notice  with  the  consent  of  the 
Engineer.  (See  Form  of  Agreement,  Appendix  B.) 

The  agreements  were  signed  during  the  month  of  November, 
and  towards  the  end  of  the  month  three  stokers  signed.  The 
Union  demanded  their  "removal,"  which  was  refused,  and 
iwo  days  later,  on  December  4th,  1889,  the  further  demand 
was  made  for  ' '  the  removal  from  the  works ' '  of  all  the  men 
who  had  signed  agreements  and  the  abolition  of  the  Profit- 
sharing  Scheme.  This  demand  could  not  be  complied  with, 
and,  being  refused,  the  Union  gave  a  week's  notice  for  each  of 
the  2,000  stokers  on  the  following  day,  but  some  of  the  notices 
were  forged.  The  Profit-sharing  Scheme  was  the  outcome  of 
the  labour  movement  of  188^,  and  the  Scheme  which  was 
introduced  to  make  friends  of  the  workmen  and  to  prevent  a 
strike  was,  in  fact,  its  immediate  cause.  The  Company,  how- 


34 

ever,  neither  before  nor  during  the  strike  (of  which  the  cost 
and  losses  direct  and  indirect  exceeded  ,£100,000)  made  any 
objection  to  the  employment  of  members  of  the  Gas  Workers' 
Union,  or  to  their  joining  the  Profit-sharing  arrangement  ;  but 
after  the  strike  ended  and  the  Company  had  agreed  to  take 
back  Unionists  to  fill  any  vacancies,  the  Secretary  of  the  Union 
said  publicly  that  they  made  a  mistake  in  giving  a  week's 
notice,  and  he  warned  the  consumers  of  London  that  the}' 
would  not  give  a  week's  notice  next  time,  which  threat  was 
met  by  the  Company  declaring  that  in  order  to  protect  the 
consumers  of  London  the}'  would  not  employ  members  of  that 
Union.  This  had  no  connection  whatever  with  Profit-sharing, 
and  in  proof  I  may  say,  that  when  introducing  a  similar 
system  at  the  Crystal  Palace  District  Gas  Works  in  1894,  the 
men  were  distinctly  and  emphatically  told  that  they  were 
perfectly  free  to  continue  members  of  the  Gas  Workers'  or 
any  Union,  and  that  they,  or  any  of  them  —for  there  must  be  no 
compulsion  of  any  kind — were  equally  free  to  accept  or  reject 
the  Profit- sharing  Scheme,  and  so  it  remains  at  those  works  to 
this  day.  These  statements  of  facts  without  comment  are  given 
because  I  wish  to  conceal  nothing.  A  life-long  association 
with  workmen  has  shown  me  that  above  all  things  they  like 
to  be  dealt  with  fairly  and  squarely  and  honestly,  and  I  have 
found  that  where  confidence  is  given  it  will  be  returned.  The 
ground  being  thus  cleared,  the  Profit-sharing  Scheme  may  now 
be  explained  and  the  history  of  its  working  given. 

Profit-sharing  is  an  addition  to  or  a  percentage  on  the 
market  rate  of  wages.  The  application  of  the  system  varies 
greatly  according  to  the  varying  circumstances  of  the  businesses 
to  which  it  may  be  applied.  In  the  case  of  a  Gas  Company, 
working  under  the  sliding  scale  above  described,  all  that  is 
necessary  is  the  extension  of  the  system  to  the  employees,  thus 
making  a  complete  triple  partnership  of  Capital,  Labour  and 
Customers  or  Consumers,  a  true  and  complete  Co-operative 
Society  in  fact. 

For  the  purpose  of  Profit-sharing  on  the  sliding  scale  prin- 
ciple 2s.  8d.  per  1,000  feet  was  taken  as  the  standard  price  of 
gas,  and  for  every  penny  belo\V  that  figure  at  which  gas  was 
sold  the  officers  and  workmen  were  to  be  entitled  to  an  annual 


35 

bonus  of  i  per  cent,  on  their  salaries  and  wages.  The  standard 
price  was  fixed  at  this  figure  in  order  to  start  with  a  bonus  of 
5  per  cent,  (the  actual  selling  price  at  the  time  being  2s.  3d. 
per  1,000,  or  fivepence  below  the  standard),  and  to  allow  for  a 
possible  increase  of  price  without  reducing  the  bonus  to 
vanishing  point.  To  give  the  proposal  a  good  start  all  who 
accepted  it  were  credited  with  the  amount  of  bonus,  averaging 
three  per  cent.,  they  would  have  received  on  the  above  scale 
during  the  three  preceding  years,  which,  however,  was  not 
payable  in  cash  until  1894,  and  was  called  a  "  Nest  egg." 

From  the  outset  two  objects  of  equal  importance  have 
always  been  kept  in  view,  viz.:  to  attach  the  Workmen  to  the 
Company  by  giving  them  a  direct  interest  in  its  prosperity 
•beyond  their  salaries  and  wages,  and  to  give  them  the  oppor- 
tunity to  practice  thrift,  and  thus  improve  their  position  in 
life  and  make  provision  for  misfortune  and  old  age.  In  short, 
to  enable  them  to  lift  themselves  from  poverty  to  independence. 
To  accomplish  the  second  object  the  Company  gave  the  men 
the  option  of  leaving  their  annual  bonus  (it  was  payable  on  a 
week's  notice  at  any  time)  on  deposit  at  4  per  cent,  interest. 
An  unexpectedly  large  proportion  of  the  Employees  from  the 
first  availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity,  whilst  some  in- 
vested it  in  a  Building  Society  started  by  the  Employees,  and 
others  used  it  to  purchase  the  Company's  Stock.  On  the  other 
hand,  rather  more  than  half  the  Profit  Sharers  year  by  year 
withdrew  their  bonus  every  July  as  soon  as  it  was  declared,  of 
whom,  it  may  safely  be  said,  that  few  derived  an}"  permanent 
benefit  from  the  system.  Such  men  are  its  weakness  and 
often  the  cause  of  its  failure. 

-  After  the  first  two  years  the  bonus  was  reduced  from  5  to  3 
per  cent,  because  the  average  price  of  gas  was  increased  2d. 
per  1,000  feet.  The  Workmen  quite  understood  and  accepted 
the  position  like  men.  After  5  years'  working,  however,  it 
became  clear  that  simple  Profit-sharing  was  a  good  step,  but 
only  a  step  on  the  road  it  is  desirable  to  travel,  for  unless  it 
leads  to  actual  shareholding  it  halts  where  it  should  make  its 
greatest  advance.  In  1894,  therefore,  the  Directors  proposed 
to  increase  the  rate  of  Bonus  from  i  per  cent,  to  i  ^  per  cent, 
on  salaries  and  wages  per  id.  on  the  price  of  gas,  on  condition 


36 

that  one-half  only  of  the  Bonus  should  be  payable  in  cash  or 
left  on  deposit,  the  other  half  to  be  invested  in  the  Company's 
Ordinary  Stock  at  the  market  price  of  the  day.  This  proposal 
was  accepted,  but  it  has  a  drawback — there  is  never  a  rose 
without  a  thorn — it  leads  some  men  to  consider  that,  half  their 
Bonus  being  saved  for  them,  they  may  give  up  all  idea  of 
voluntary  saving,  and  spend  the  other  half.  The  Table  given 
further  on  shows  what  has  been  paid  in  Bonuses  and  saved  and 
invested  during  the  10  years  the  system  has  been  in  operation. 
Part  of  the  total  consists  of  weekly  or  other  savings  deposited 
with  the  Company  at  interest.  Favourable  purchases  of  stock, 
generally  in  advance,  have  been  made  by  using  the  Profit- 
sharing  Deposits  for  the  purpose,  with  the  result  that  when 
the  time  for  allotment  came,  the  Profit-sharing  Shareholders 
have  always  had  their  stock  at  rather  less  than  the  market 
price — the  Company  paying  for  the  stamp,  etc.  The  Workmen 
quite  appreciate  this  advantage,  for  they  are  not  indifferent 
to  the  value  of  their  property  in  the  market. 

When  Profit-sharing  was  started,  and  for  some  years  after, 
the  interest  yielded  to  the  purchaser  of  the  Company's  Stock 
was  a  good  5  per  cent.  The  average  rate  at  which  the  Com- 
pany raised  new  Capital,  Share  and  L,oan,'was  about  4^/2  per 
cent.,  consequently  the  Directors  were  justified,  as  a  matter  of 
business,  in  giving  interest  at  the  rate  of  4  per  cent,  on  the 
deposits  of  their  Employees.  For  be  it  remembered  that  their 
only  justification  for  the  introduction  and  maintenance  of 
Profit-sharing  is  that  it  is  commercially  advantageous — busi- 
ness, not  philanthropy,  must  govern  their  actions.  Since 
1894,  however,  Gas  Stocks  have  gradually  risen  in  value,  and 
now  the  Company's  Ordinary  Stock  only  yields  to  the  investor 
about  3^  per  cent.,  while  the  average  rate  at  wrhich  the 
Company  raises  Share  and  Loan  Capital  is  not  much  over 
3  per  cent.  Therefore,  to  pay  4  per  cent,  on  the  Employees' 
deposits  and  savings  was"  not  commercially  sound.  There  is 
also  the  objection  that  a  man  naturally  prefers  4  per  cent,  for 
money  on  deposit,  than  3^  on  a  permanent  investment  ;  the 
rate  of  4  per  cent,  consequently  hindered  investments  in  stock. 
The  Directors  therefore  resolved  to  reduce  the  rate  on  deposits 
above  £20  to  3  per  cent.  The  reasons  were  explained  to  the 


37 

Profit-sharing  Committee,  who  admitted  the  justice  of,  and 
unanimously  agreed  to,  the  proposal  ;  the  same  explanation 
was  given  to  the  men,  who  were  equally  reasonable,  and  not 
one  withdrew  his  money  because  the  rate  of  interest  was 
reduced.  This  was  very  satisfactory,  being  another  proof 
that  where  mutual  confidence  exists  men  will  act  reasonably. 

The  Profit-sharing  Committee  has  been  mentioned — its 
constitution  is  explained  in  the  Rules  which  are  given  in 
Appendix  A  to  this  paper.  The  Profit-sharing  system  is  to  a 
great  extent  automatic  ;  but  this  Committee — consisting  of 
1 8  Workmen,  elected  by  ballot  by  their  fellows,  and  18 
nominees  of  the  Directors — the  Chairman  of  the  Board  being 
Chairman  of  the  Committee — has  been  most  useful.  Great 
latitude  has  been  given  for  the  discussion  of  many  subjects, 
and  great  benefit  has  resulted  from  those  discussions.  It  has 
been  a  powerful  means  of  promoting  mutual  confidence,  and 
of  educating  the  men,  and  during  the  ten  years  of  its  existence 
there  has  never  arisen  a  difficulty,  nor  has  there  been  a  single 
breach  in  the  harmony  that  always  .characterises  its  meetings. 
If  a  request  could  not  be  granted,  the  Committee  has  been  told 
plainly  and  the  reasons  stated,  and  always  with  the  same 
result.  On  the  other  hand,  suggestions  that  could  be  adopted 
or  requests  that  •  could  be  granted  have  met  with  ready  com- 
pliance. Large  Committees  are  generally  unworkable  ;  but  in 
this  case  it  was  necessary  in  order  that  all  the  stations  and  all 
classes  of  workmen  should  be  represented,  and  it  has  had  the 
great  advantage  of  influencing  for  good  a  large  number  of 
'men. 

Having  advanced  from  simple  Profit-sharing  in  1889  to 
Shareholding  in  1894,  adopting  the  principle  of  the  Labpur 
Association,  whose  officials,  especially  Mr.  Vivian  and  the 
late  Mr.  Blandford,  gave  much  valuable  information,  there 
remained  yet  the  further  and  final  step  of  responsibility  in 
management.  It  was  felt  that  sooner  or  later,  men  whose 
savings,  in  many  cases  their  whole  savings,  were  invested  in 
the  Company's  Stock  would  desire  a  share  in  the  management 
of  the  property,  or  at  least  they  would  wish  to  know  how  it 
was  managed,  but  this  was  not  at  all  imminent.  The  Ordinary 
Stock  of  the  Company  was  worth  over  ,£5,000,000,  while  the 


38 

value  of  the  aggregate  investment  of  the  Employees  did  not 
exceed  ,£20,000.  The  question,  however,  was  not  one  to  be 
decided  by  rule  of  three,  it  being  governed  by  larger  and 
higher  considerations.  These  considerations  were  that  the 
sooner  a  beginning  was  made  in  educating  Workmen  to 
understand  and  deal  wTith  the  commercial  aspect  of  business 
the  better,  that  the  opportunity  should  be  given  them  of 
learning  to  look  at  the  employers'  side  of  industrial  questions  as 
well  as  their  own,  that  they  should  take  a  share  of  responsi- 
bility ;  in  short,  that  they  should  be  lifted  from  the  status  of 
children  to  that  of  men,  from  hireling  to  partner  in  the  fullest 
possible  sense.  This  step,  like  the  two  which  preceded  it, 
came,  as  the  initiative  in  all  such  movements  should  come, 
from  the  employer.  The  number  of  Ordinary  Directors  is 
limited  to  seven  by  Act  of  Parliament,  consequently  no 
addition  could  be  made  without  the  authority  of  Parliament. 
The  Company,  however,  were  promoting  a  Bill  for  another 
purpose  in  1896,  and  obtained  at  the  same  time  power  for  the 
Stock-holding  Employees  to  elect  not  more  than  three 
Directors.  (The  scheme  is  set  out  in  Appendix  C.) 

Up  to  this  time  there  had  been  no  division  in  the  counsels 
of  the  Company,  but  when  Workmen  Directors  were  proposed 
fears  were  expressed  that  the  Workmen  Voters  would  be 
misled  by  the  glib  talker,  and  that  the  Workmen  Directors 
would  come  simply  as  the  representatives  of  their  class,  and 
would  not  understand  that  it  was  their  duty  as  Directors  to 
consider  fairly  the  general  welfare  of  the  Company  and  all 
interests  therein. 

Two  of  the  ablest  and  at  the  same  time  most  fair  represen- 
tatives of  workmen  who  were  consulted,  viz.  : — Mr.  Thos. 
Burt,  M.P.,  and  the  late  lamented  Edward  Trow,  of  the  Iron 
Workers,  said  that  such  fears  were  groundless,  and  so  far  the 
result  has  proved  them  to  be  correct.  Those  gentlemen  also 
gave  valuable  advice  on  the  question  of  fees,  &c. 

After  some  trouble  the  necessary  consent  was  obtained,  and 
the  Act  passed  which  gave  power  to  elect  Employee  Directors 
when  the  aggregate  amount  of  Stock  held  by  the  Profit-sharing 
Employees  exceeded  ,£40,000  nominal  value — the  market  value 
being  over  ^"56,000.  This  was  done  last  year,  and  two 


Workmen  took  their  seats  on  the  Board  as  Directors  in 
November  last.  They  have  been  treated  by  the  other  Directors 
as  one  with  themselves,  have  done  the  work  of  Directors,  and 
have  won  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  their  colleagues  ; 
moreover,  the  objection  that  a  man  could  not  be  a  Director 
one  day  and  a  simple  workman  under  the  orders  of  a  foreman 
the  remaining  five  has,  so  far,  been  shown  to  be  groundless. 

It  is  trne  that  the  idea  of  one  man  one  vote  was  inapplicable 
because  the  voting  had  to  follow  the  usual  open  voting  system 
of  Joint  Stock  Companies  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  Stock. 
Stock  can  only  be  held  in  amounts  of  ^5  and  multiples  thereof, 
but  a  man  must  hold  £  10 — worth  £14  in  money — to  entitle 
him  to  one  vote,  and  so  on  according  to  the  scale  in  Appen- 
dix C.  The  consequence  is  that  the  voting  power  rests  with  the 
most  thrifty  and  therefore  with  the  most  thoughtful  of  the 
workmen.  What  would  have  been  the  result  if  every  man, 
however  small  his  holding,  had  had  a  vote,  it  is  impossible  to 
say,  probably  the  selection  would'  not  have  been  so  good. 
Great  interest  was  taken  by  the  workmen  in  the  voting,  five- 
sixths  of  the  total  votes  being  recorded. 

As  it  was,  out  of  about  a  dozen  candidates  "who  stood  for 
election,  four  of  the  most  suitable  men  received  the  bulk  of 
the  votes.  One  Workman  Director  retires  every  year  ;  the 
Election  is  now  taking  place,  the  retiring  Director  may  be  re- 
elected,  but  if  not,  in  all  probability  one  equally  suitable  and 
sensible  will  take  his  place. 

The  Salaried  Officers  have  not  yet  exercised  their  right  to 
elect  one  Director  as  provided  by  the  Scheme  (Appendix  C) ; 
they  are  perfectly  free  to  do  as  they  please  in  the  matter. 

The  following  Table  summarizes  the  money  results  of  the 
Profit-sharing  Scheme  after  ten  years'  working  : — 


40 


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41 

vSo  far  the  Paper  is  a  simple  historical  statement  of  facts, 
but  some  record  of  the  general  results  of  the  system  seems  to 
be  necessary.  It  is  extremely  difficult  for  any  man  who  has 
taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  development  of  an  idea  or  in 
carrying  on  any  work  to  be  absolutely  without  bias  in  speaking 
of  results.  If,  however,  they  are  not  to  the  advantage  both 
of  employer  and  employed  the  end  must  be  failure. 

I  have  been  in  the  Company's  service  in  various  capacities 
since  1848 — assistant  to  my  father,  then  as  engineer,  next 
engineer  and  secretary,  then  director  and  for  fourteen  years 
chairman.  I  remember  well  the  old  friendly  relations  when 
every  man  was  known  personally,  and  the  kindly  feeling  that 
then  existed,  but  never  have  the  relations  of  employer  and 
employed  been  on  such  a  footing  of  mutual  confidence  and 
goodwill  as  during  the  last  ten  years.  Each  feels  quite  free 
to  speak  to  the  other  with  the  respect  due  from  man  to  man 
on  any  subject,  and  reason  rules  on  both  sides.  Of  course  this 
is  a  general  statement,  for  amongst  the  large  number  of  men 
employed  there  are  exceptions  to  the  rule,  but  their  fellows 
do  not  put  them  forward  and  they  have  no  perceptible  influence. 
Such  friendly  relations  as  have  existed  since  1889  (when 
Profit-sharing  was  introduced  and  the  strike  took  place), 
induce  cheerful,  willing  work,  which  has  considerable  although 
unascertainable  money  value. 

Information  of  a  definite  character,  however,  is  available  by 
comparing  the  three  London  Gas  Companies.  The  rates  of 
wages  paid  to  their  stokers  are  the  same  in  all  three  Companies, 
but  the  cost  of  wages  per  ton  of  coal  carbonized  is  strikingly 
different.  In  the  case  of  the  South  Metropolitan  last  year  it 
was  2s.  3d.  per  ton,  about  is.  per  ton  lower  than  the  other  two 
Companies,  saving  about  ,£50,000  a  year.  This  difference  of 
is.  per  ton  is  due  partly  to  the  South  Metropolitan 
having  a  larger  proportion  of  stoking  machinery  than  the 
other  Companies,  and  partly  to  the  better  working  of  the  men. 
This  better  working  tells  in  two  ways,  there  is  a  willingness  to 
work  machinery  to  its  full  power,  which  is  an  inducement  to 
the  Company  to  apply  it  extensively,  whereas  with  the  other 
Companies  it  is  not  so,  for,  from  the  evidence  given  before  the 
Parliamentary  enquiry  into  the  working  of  the  London  Gas 


42 

Companies  last  Session,  it  appeared  that  stoking  machinery 
is  not  of  much  advantage  to  them,  because  the  work  it  can  do 
is  restricted.  The  other  way  in  which  the  better  working  of 
the  South  Metropolitan  Stokers  is  manifested  is  in  the  hand- 
work— they  are  willing  to  work  the  retorts  to  their  proper 
capacity,  not  counting  the  shovelfuls  of  coal  put  into  the 
retorts.  Thus  the  difference  in  the  cost  of  carbonizing  is 
accounted  for — the  greater  part  no  doubt  due  to  machinery  ; 
but  there  is  quite  enough  remaining  to  balance  the  amount 
paid  the  Stokers  as  Profit-sharing.  It  may  also  be  said  of  the 
Company's  workmen  generally  that  the  Profit-sharing  bonus 
is  earned  by  a  large  proportion  of  the  men  ;  .some  respond 
heartily  to  the  principle,  while  others  are  not  influenced  by  it. 
To  discriminate  is  therefore  most  necessary,  on  which  some- 
thing must  be  said  later. 

Another  test  is  the  price  charged  for  gas  by  the  three 
Companies.  In  1889  it  was  2s.  3d.,  2s.  4d.,  and  2s.  6d.  per 
1,000  feet  respectively  ;  it  is  now  2s.  id.,  2s.  6d.,  and  3$.;  the 
South  Metropolitan  being  the  lowest  both  then  and  now, 
having  improved  actually  and  relatively.  The  improve- 
ment is  by  no  means  entirely  due  to  Profit-sharing,  but  it  is  so 
in  part.  Moreover,  the  Company's  Stock  stands  at  a  higher 
relative  value  in  the  market  than  that  of  any  other  Gas 
Company. 

A  further  advantage  to  the  Company  consists  in  the 
thoughtful  interest  the  best  of  the  men  take  in  its  welfare, 
shown  by  suggestions  for  improvements  in  apparatus  and 
working. 

The  advantages  the  men  derive  from  the  system  are 
educative,  a  general  elevation  and  strengthening  of  character 
in  those  who  respond  to  the  principle,  besides  the  material 
improvement  in  their  position,  of  which  the  accumulation  of 
over  ,£125,000  is  a  sure  indication.  It  is  also  an  advantage  to 
them  as  well  as  to  their  employers  that  they  do  their  work 
in  a  happy  contented  frame  of  mind,  rather  than  in  an  in- 
different spirit. 

Profit-sharing  does  not  depress  wages,  at  least  in  Gas  Works. 
Last  year  the  law  of  supply  and  demand  indicated  that  an 
increase  of  stokers'  wages  was  advisable.  The  two  Profit- 


43 

sharing  Companies  took  the  lead,  both  of  the  other  Gas  Com- 
panies and  the  Trade  Union,  with  an  advance  of  7^  per  cent., 
making  the  wage  6s.  for  an  eight  hour  shift.  This  rate,  even 
in  this  busy  time,  commands  an  ample  supply  of  men.  The 
other  Companies  followed  rather  unwillingly,  the  Engineer 
of  one  of  them  saying  :  "If  our  men  would  work  as  well  as 
yours  I  w7ould  gladly  give  the  advance,  and  Profit-sharing  into 
the  bargain." 

Notwithstanding  the  soundness  of  the  principle  and  all  that 
has  been  said  and  done  in  favour  of  Profit-sharing,  it  makes 
little  headway.  One  firm  after  another  adopts  it,  finds  it 
successful  for  a  time,  the  glamour  passes  away  and  it  is 
quietly  dropped.  The  reasons  given  are  in  different  words, 
but  may  too  often  be  summed  up  in  ' '  want  of  interest  on  the 
part  of  the  men "—"  workmen  do  not  respond,"  &c.  The 
chief  reasons  for  failure  are  the  indiscriminate  giving  of  the 
Profit-sharing  Bonus  to  the  indifferent  as  well  as  to  the  good 
workman,  and  the  payment  of  the  Bonus  in  cash,  which  rarely 
does  any  permanent  good,  and  often  does  real  harm  to  the 
recipient,  making  him  even  less  careful  and  thrifty  than  he 
\vas  before.  Profit-sharing  in  its  simple  formy  in  fact,  does 
not  go  far  enough  to  be  a  permanent  good  either  to  employer  or 
employed,  and  cannot  therefore  be  expected  to  take  hold.  If, 
however,  it  is  used  as  a  means,  and  it  is  the  only  practicable 
means,  for  securing  co-partnership — the  term  adopted  by  the 
Labour  Association — or  shareholding,  as  in  the  Gas  Company's 
case,  with  the  responsibilities  attaching  thereto,  it  has  the 
power  to  Revolutionise  industry  in  the  best  way  possible. 

We  seem  to  be  at  the  parting  of  the  ways  if  they  have  not 
parted  already — the  days  of  small  industries  and  the  old 
relationships  of  master  and  men  are  gone  past  recall,  and  joint 
stock  enterprise  on  a  large  scale  with  capital  and  labour 
holding  diverse  views,  to  put  it  mildly,  is  now  the  rule. 

The  desideratum  is  to  combine  the  two  interests  by  making 
the  Employees  partners,  and  here  the  Co-partnership  principle 
of  the  Labour  Association  comes  in.  The  only  practicable 
means  whereby  Workmen  can  find  the  money  is  through 
Profit-sharing  paid  mainly  in  Shares,  not  in  cash,  for  it  is  so 
difficult  to  save  money  for  the  purpose  by  weekly  driblets. 


44 

A  prolific  cause  of  failure  of  Profit-sharing  arrangements  is 
that  they  are  left  to  work  themselves,  and  so  left  they  usually 
work  themselves  out  of  existence.  As  an  illustration,  though 
fortunately  not  fatal,  the  case  of  the  Crystal  Palace  District 
Gas  Company  may  be  given,  where  in  1894  a  scheme  on  the 
same  lines  as  the  South  Metropolitan  was  adopted,  but  after 
two  or  three  years  no  appreciable  improvement  in  working 
was  perceptible.  There  had  been  a  good  start,  the  men 
heartily  and  unanimously  accepting  the  scheme  with  a  3  per 
cent,  bonus — it  is  best  to  begin  low  and  3  per  cent,  does  well 
for  a  beginning — it  went  up  in  successive  years  to  4  and  5  per 
cent.,  but  most  certainly  it  \vas  not  earned  by  the  great  bulk 
of  the  men,  though  they  seemed  to  appreciate  it  at  first. 
The  chief  reasons  for  this  failure  were  the  want  of  active 
interest  on  the  part  of  the  management  and  the  indiscriminate 
giving  of  the  bonus  to  good,  bad  and  indifferent  workmen. 
It  was  consequently,  after  a  year  or  two,  taken  as  a  matter  of 
course,  and  had  very  little  effect.  Every  man  was  allowed  to 
sign  an  agreement,  without  any  attempt  at  discrimination, 
whereas  agreements  should  have  been  withheld  from  careless  or 
indifferent  workmen.  Such,  on  the  expiry  of  their  agree- 
ments, should  be  told  that  they  cannot  be  renewed  until  they 
show  more  interest  in  their  work  ;  that  they  may  make 
another  application  in  three  or  six  months,  and  then  if  they 
have  done  better  they  may  be  allowed  to  sign  for  three  or 
six  months  instead  of  the  usual  twelve  months — the  winter 
men  who  are  Profit-sharers  sign,  of  course,  for  shorter  periods. 
Discrimination  in  the  matter  of  agreements  should  be  the 
special  work  of  the  Employer  or  his  Manager  or  the  head  of  a 
department,  not  of  any  subordinate  officer  or  foreman. 
Justice  tempered  with  Mercy  being  his  guide,  good  men  will 
then  be  encouraged  and  the  indifferent  stimulated  to  do  better. 
The  surest  way  to  make  the  good  workman  indifferent  is  to 
treat  all  alike,  for  why  should  he  show  interest  and  zeal  when 
the  indifferent  workman  who  does  not  earn  the  bonus  receives 
it  equally  with  himself  ? 

It  has  been  said  the  Profit-sharing  means  driving  the  men. 
'This  is  untrue  ;  its  object  is  simply  to  induce  men  to  give  a 
fair  day's  work  for  a  fair  day's  pay  willingly, and  cheerfully. 


45 

These  agreements  have  been  objected  to,  but  never  by  the 
men,  who  greatly  value  them,  because  they  assure  twelve 
months'  constant  work,  but  they  are  not  indespensable  to 
Profit-sharing.  The  late  Mr.  Mundella  once  said  to  me  :  "I 
like  your  Profit-sharing  system,  but  I  don't  like  your  agree- 
ments. Are  they  necessary  ?  "  I  called  the  eighteen  work- 
men's representatives  of  the  Profit-sharing  Committee  together, 
and  put  the  matter  to  them.  They  were  absolutely  and 
earnestly  unanimous  in  urging  that  the  agreements  should  not 
be  abolished,  stating  that  any  alteration  would  4<  greatly  upset 
the  men."  I  reported  this  to  Mr.  Mundella,  who  replied  that 
he  was  quite  satisfied. 

The  change  in  working  the  system  made  two  years  ago  at 
the  Crystal  Palace  District  Gas  Works  has  resulted  in  a 
material  reduction  in  the  cost  of  carbonizing,  and  incipient 
failure  has  changed  to  success.  Success,  in  fact,  depends  in 
this  as  in  all  that  is  good,  on  earnest,  intelligent,  and  patient 
working  by  the  chief,  coupled  with  the  hearty  assistance  of 
officers  and  foremen,  and  the  co-operation  of  the  rank  and 
file.  To  ensure  this,  officers  and  workmen  should  be  in  the 
same  boat,  all  being  equally  interested  as  Profit-sharers  on  the 
same  basis. 

I  have  attempted  to  describe  a  humble  endeavour  to  unite 
Capital  and  Labour,  which  I  trust  may  be  their  happy  destiny 
eventually  and  generally.  It  is  proverbially  dangerous  for 
others  to  try  to  force  or  to  hasten  a  union,  but  the  parties 
themselves,  taking  example  and  encouragement  by  seeing 
what  has  already  been  done,  for  instance,  by  such  a  man  as 
George  Thompson,  cloth  manufacturer,  of  Huddersfield — the 
pioneer  in  this  country  as  Leclaire  w7as  in  France,  in  con- 
verting a  private  firm  into  a  Co-partnership  business  and  with 
Workmen  Directors — may  perhaps  be  led  to  think  they  have 
already  lost  too  much  time.  Capital  fears  that  advances  will 
be  rejected  and  Labour  is  suspicious.  They  will  certainly 
never  be  happy  apart,  Labour  is  coy  and  shy  and  will  not  be 
easy  to  win,  but  she  is  well  worth  all  the  cost  and  trouble  of 
winning,  and  when  won  both  will  have  a  full  reward.  The 
Golden  Rule  after  all  is  the  best  guide,  "Whatsoever  ye 
would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them." 


46 

NOTE. — Some  newspapers  have  lately  been  giving  currency 
to  a  statement  to  the  effect  that  ' '  the  Profit-sharing  scheme  is 
not  realizing  Mr.  Livesey's  dreams.  He  has  issued  a  circular 
in  which  he  confesses  the  failure  of  the  system." 

It  is  true  I  had  dreams,  but  they  were  very  moderate  com- 
pared with  the  realization. 

I  never  dreamed  that  the  system  would  create  such  mutual 
confidence  and  goodwill  as  has  existed  ever  since  its  intro- 
duction. 

I  never  dreamed  that  so  large  a  proportion  as  half  the 
workmen  would  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity  for  thrift 
(my  modest  dream  was  that,  perhaps,  one-tenth  would  do  so), 
or  that  in  1899  three-fourths  of  the  total  bonus  of  ,£21,000 
would  be  saved. 

To  have  dreamed  that  in  10  years  nearly  every  man  in 
regular  employment  would  be  a  shareholder  in  the  Company, 
that  the  total  investment  of  some  2,800  men  would  be  worth 
nearly  ,£100,000  besides  other  large  investments,  and  above 
all  that  two  of  their  number  would,  by  Act  of  Parliament,  be 
sitting  on  the  Board  of  Directors,  and  have  won  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  their  Co-directors,  would,  if  it  had  occurred 
to  me,  have  been  dismissed  as  the  idlest  of  idle  dreams. 

These  great  results,  and  seeing  what  so  large  a  proportion 
of  the  workmen  have  done,  have  created  the  desire  to  induce 
the  remainder  to  try  to  follow  so  good  an  example,  the 
circular  in  question  was  therefore  issued.  Men  who  every 
year  for  the  last  five  years  have  withdrawn  everything 
possible  were  told  that  at  the  next  distribution  in  July,  1900, 
they  would  be  credited  only  with  the  half  bonus  invested  in 
Stock,  unless  they  saved  week  by  week  an  amount  equal  to  a 
wreek's  wages  by  the  end  of  the  Profit-sharing  year.  The 
notice  does  not  apply  to  those  who  have  withdrawn  their 
money  for  saving  or  investment  in  any  other  way  ;  it  will  be 
worked  considerately. 

The  result  already  is  very  satisfactory,  many  men  who  never 
saved  before  having  now  started,  and  others  have  requested 
that  in  future  both  halves  of  the  bonus  may  be  invested  in 
Stock.  The  self-denial  of  voluntary  saving  is,  however,  the 
desideratum.  Such  a  notice  could  not  have  been  issued  had  not 


47 

the  system  been  a  great  success.  It  is  sufficiently  established 
to  bear  it,  and  the  thrifty  men  unanimously  approve.  I  add, 
as  a  postscript,  an  extract  from  the  London  Daily  Chronicle,  of 
Sept.  29th,  1899.  I  do  not  know  the  writer  of  the  letter. 

G.  L. 

PROFIT-SHARING. 


A    BIT   OF   EXPERIENCE. 


An  Employee  of  the  South  Metropolitan  Gas  Company,  who 
gives  his  name  and  address,  sends  us  his  experience  of  the 
Livesey  Profit-sharing  scheme  : — 

' '  I  have  been  employed  by  the  South  Metropolitan  Gas 
Company  since  September,  1879,  therefore  have  seen  some 
of  the  results,  and  felt,  personally,  the  real  benefit  of  the 
scheme.  Ten  years  ago,  when  it  was  started,  I  had  a  wife 
and  family.  Consequently  it  was  difficult  for  me  to  save. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  I  hadn't  a  penny,  and  doubtless  that 
would  have  been  my  position  to-day  if  Mr.  lyivesey  had 
taken  no  more  notice  of  the  welfare  of  his  employees  than 
some  other  employers.  Now  my  position  is  as  follows  :— 
Year  by  year  I  have  had  a  bonus  placed  to  my  credit, 
which  was  transferred  to  stock,  a  few  months  ago  I  sold 
some,  value  ^40,  and  obtaining  an  advance  from  our 
building  society,  bought  a  house,  and  have  in  the  Com- 
pany's funds  at  the  present  time  ^65. 

"So  you  see  this  scheme  gives  me  capital.  By  using 
it  carefully  I  am  able  to  greatly  better  my  position  .still 
further — namely,  my  bonus  at  present  is  ^20,  and  my 
saving  through  building  society  about  £20. 

' '  These  are  not  great  figures,  but  to  me  a  few  years 
ago  would  have  been  beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice." 


48 


APPENDIX  A. 
PROFIT-SHARING     RULES 


SOUTH  METROPOLITAN  GAS  COMPANY, 


TRUSTEES. 

GEORGE  LIVESEY,  FRANK   BUSH   and 
JOHN  ALFRED  BUTCHER. — 1899. 


COMMITTEE. 


Directors'    Nominees. 

GEORGE  LIVESEY,  Chairman. 
R.  MORTON,  Director. 

F.  BUSH,  Secretary. 

C.  C.  CARPENTER,Chief  Engineer. 

J.  F.  BRAID  WOOD,  Engineer. 

A.  F.   BROWNE,  Engineer. 

W.  D.  HUNTER,  Engineer. 

J.  TYSOE,  Engineer. 

T.  J.  C.  COGGIN,  Chief  Rental  Clerk. 

J.  SURMAN,  Chief  Storekeeper. 

P.  J.  RICHARDSON,  Street  Mains 

Superintendent. 
A.    W.     MILLAR,    Service     Layers 

Superintendent. 

C.  ANDRE WS,Forem'n,Rotherhithe. 
C.     ELBOURNE,     Foreman,     East 

Greenwich. 

H.  FOX,  Foreman,  Old  Kent  Road. 
T.  GIBSON,  Foreman,  Vauxhall. 
W.  KING,  Foreman,  Greenwich. 

G.  TAYLOR,  Foreman,  Bankside. 


Workmen '  ^  Representatives . 
H.  AUSTIN,  East  Greenwich. 
W.  BEARD,  Bankside. 
C.  Z.  BURROWS,  Old  Kent  Road. 
G.  T.  CHIVERS,  Vauxhall. 
J.  DAY,   Rotherhithe. 
C.  DEAR,  Vauxhall. 
W.  DONALDSON,  Greenwich. 
G.  GROSSE,  Old  Kent  Road. 
F.  JARVIS,  East  Greenwich. 
E.  JEAL,  East  Greenwich. 
J.  KEELER,  Old  Kent  Road. 
C.  A.  MACKENROT,  Old  Kent  Road 
H.  NORMAN,  Greenwich. 
J.  RODDIS,  Old  Kent  Road  Stokers. 

M.    SHEELEY    (Junr.),    Old    Kent 
Road  Service  Layers. 

J.  G.  SMITH,  Vauxhall. 

R.  WARRINGTON,  Rotherhithe. 

R.    H.    WILLIS,    Old    Kent    Road 
Lamplighters. 


H.  C.   SIMS  (Secretary). 


49 

SOUTH  METROPOLITAN  GAS  COMPANY. 


PROFIT-SHARING  WITH  OFFICERS  AND  WORKMKN. 


ORIGINAL  SCHEME  FOUNDED  IN  1889. 

SLIDING  SCALE.— By  this  system,  established  by  Act  of  Parliament,  the 
divisible  profits  of  the  Company  are  made  to  depend  upon  the  price  charged 
for  gas — for  every  reduction  of  id.  per  1,000  feet  the  Shareholders  become 
entitled  to  one  quarter,  or  five  shillings  per  cent,  additional  dividend;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  should  the  price  of  gas  be  raised,  the  Shareholders'  dividend 
is  to  be  diminished  to  the  extent  of  one  quarter,  or  five  shillings  per  cent,  for 
every  penny  put  on  the  price  of  gas. 

It  is,  therefore,  to  the  interest  of  the  Shareholders  to  sell  gas  at  the  lowest 
practicable  price;  but  the  Act  of  Parliament  does  not  require  the  principle  of 
the  Sliding  Scale  to  be  extended  or  applied  to  the  employes  of  the  Company, 
consequently  they  have  no  special  interest  in  the  price  at  which  gas  is  sold. 

In  order  to  remedy  this  defect,  the  Directors,  on  October  3Oth,  1889, 
resolved  unanimously  to  offer  to  those  Workmen  who  were  willing  to  sign 
an  Agreement,  a  share  in  the  profits  of  the  Company,  henceforth  described 
as  a  Bonus,  in  the  form  of  a  percentage  on  their  wages,  to  be  calculated  on  the 
principle  of  the  Sliding  Scale,vsuch  percentage  to  rise  when  the  price  of  gas  is 
reduced,  and  to  fall  when  it  is  raised. 

One  object  the  Directors  had  in  view  was  to  induce  all  their  employes  to- 
take  a  real  interest  in  their  work,  and  to  give  them  a  new  motive  for  endeavour- 
ing to  promote  the  prosperity  of  the  Company. 

The  Directors  are  reluctant  to  speak  of  the  possible  failure  of  this  scheme, 
but  should  hereafter  this  Bonus  scheme  unfortunately  not  succeed  in  attaching 
their  employes  to  the  Company's  interests,  and  lead  to  intelligent  and  good 
work  on  their  part,  the  Board  reserves  to  itself  the  power  to  terminate  the 
same  on  giving  not  less  than  six  months'  notice,  to  expire  on  June  3Oth  in  any 
year,  and  no  Bonus  in  addition  to  ordinary  wages  will  thereafter  be  given. 

The  Bonus  that  for  the  last  three  years  has  been  given  to  the  Officers  of 
the  Company  is  abolished,  and  in  its  place  the  system  herein  set  forth  is  in 
future  to  apply  to  Officers  and  Workmen  alike. 

The  principle  adopted  by  the  Directors  is  as  follows : — The  starting  point 
with  the  Sliding  Scale  in  relation  to  the  dividend  of  the  Shareholders  is  fixed 
by  Act  of  Parliament  at  35.  6d.  per  1,000  feet ;  it  has  been  fixed  by  the  Board 
for  the  employes  at  2s.  8d.,  but  the  Shareholders  only  get  five  shillings  per 
cent,  for  each  penny  reduction  below  35.  6d.,  whereas,  in  the  other  case,  £l 
per  cent,  will  be  given  for  each  penny  reduction  below  2s.  8d.,  on  the  annual 
salary  of  the  Officers  and  the  year's  wages  of  the  Workmen. 

ALTERATIONS  MADE  IN  1894. 

Nearly  five  years'  trial  has  shown  the  Directors  that  the  system  of  Profit- 
sharing  is  beneficial  to  all  connected  with  the  Company — Shareholders, 
Employe's,  and  Consumers — they  therefore  feel  justified  in  proposing  an 


50 

extension  of  the  principle  with  the  object  of  giving  all  who  are  employed  by 
the  Company  the  opportunity  of  becoming  Shareholders,  in  the  hope  that  the 
interest  they  have  already  shewn  in  its  welfare  may  be  thereby  increased  and 
strengthened. 

The  original  arrangement,  as  set  forth  above,  was  that  for  every  penny  at 
which  gas  is  sold  below  2s.  8d.  per  1,000  feet  there  should  be  a  Bonus  on 
Salaries  and  Wages  of  One  per  cent.  —  The  Directors  now  offer  to  increase  the 
Bonus  to  One-and-a-half  per  cent,  (until  it  reaches  Nine  per  cent.  ,  when  the 
further  increase  is  to  be  at  the  old  rate  of  One  per  cent.)  for  each  penny  reduc- 
tion, to  any  man  who  is  willing  to  have  one  half  of  his  Bonus  on  the  New 
Scale,  directly  it  is  declared,  invested  for  him  in  the  names  of  three  Trustees 
in  the  Company's  Ordinary  Stock  (which  pays  about  Five  per  cent,  interest) 
until  the  amount  credited  to  any  Profit-sharer  is  sufficient  to  give  him  a  Stock 
Certificate  in  his  own  name  —  the  remaining  half  of  the  Bonus  on  the  New 
Scale  is  to  be  withdrawable  at  a  week's  notice,  or  it  may  be  left  in  the  Com- 
pany's hands  to  accumulate  at  Four  per  cent,  interest  as  heretofore,  or  it  may 
be  invested  in  Stock  with  the  Trustees. 

SCALE. 

If  the  price  of  Gas  is  at  or  above  2/8  per  1,000  ft.  —  No  Bonus. 


BONUS  —  OLD  SCALE.                              BONUS—  NEW  SCALE. 

The    whole    being                                Half  to  be  invested  in  the 

withdrawable. 

Company's  Stock. 

If  it  is  2s.  7d.—  i  per  cent.                     

\y2  per  cent. 

„        2S.  6d.  —  2 

3 

„      2s.  5d.-3        „ 

4^         ,, 

„      2s.  4d.—  4 

6 

„      2s.  3d.—  5 

....        7/*        »» 

,,      2s.  2d.  —  6         ,,                            

9 

„      2s.  id.—  7 

10            ,, 

„        2S.  Od.—  8           „                                    

ii             ,, 

And  so  on. 

NOTE.  —  The  Old  Scale  has  quite  fallen  out  of  use. 

RULES. 


EMPLOYES  I.     Those  employes   (and  those  only)    who  engage  and 

MNENTRo*NGLYETO      work   under  written   Agreements    shall   be   entitled   to    the 

RECEIVE    BONUS.      BoilUS. 

The  Directors  reserve  the  right  to  refuse  permission  to 

DIRECTORS  TO        sign  an  Agreement  to  any  man  who  takes  no  interest  in  the 
o~          welfare  of  the  Company,   or  who  is   wasteful  of  the  Com- 


SIGN  AGREE-          pany's  property,  or  careless  or  negligent  in  the  performance 
of  his  duty. 


51 

2.     The  Bonus  shall  be  calculated  on  the   ordinary  salary  of  the  Officers, 

and  on  the  daily  wages  earned  by  the  Workmen  in   the  course  of  the  year, 

which  for  this  purpose  shall  end  on  the  3Oth  of  |une  in  each 

CALCULATION    OF  ,      .  ,  -  >'••«•»-« 

BONUS.  year>  no  account  being  taken  of  overtime,  and  those  Work- 

men who  may  be  on  piece-work  shall  have  their  Bonus 
calculated  on  the  amount  they  would  have  earned  at  their  ordinary  rate  of 
wages  in  the  regular  working  hours. 

DEDUCTION   IN  3-     No  deduction  will  be  made  on  account  of  absence 

CASE  OF  SICK-       caused  by  sickness,  unless  the  total  amount  of  such  absence 
exceeds  two  calendar  months  in  the  year. 

4.  The  Bonus  shall  not  be  earned  until  the  3oth  June  in  each  year,  or 
until  the  Agreements  for  the  short  terms  expire,  and  no  employe",  or  his  repre- 
sentatives, shall  be  entitled  to  any  part  of  the   Bonus  until 

DATE  WHEN  June  3Oth,  or  such  term  as  may  be  set  forth  in  the  Agree- 

CARNED.  ments  for  short  periods,   except  in  case  of  death,  or  leaving 

the  service  of  the  Company. 

5.  On  the  declaration  of  the  Bonus  on  the  3oth  of  June  in  each  year,  or 
in  the  case  of  the  Winter  men  on  the  completion  of  the  term  specified  in  their 

Agreements,  the  whole  of  the  Bonus  shall  become  the  abso- 
ABS'O'UJTE  P*RO-  lute  property  of  the  Employ^  whether  on  the  Old  Scale  at 
PERTY  OF  the  rate  of  One  per  cent,  per  penny  reduction  in  the  price  of 

Gas  payable  all  in  cash,  or  on  the  New  Scale  at  the  rate  of 
One-and-a-half  per  cent.,  of  which  half  must  be  separately  entered  in  his 

Pass  Book  and  invested  in  the  Company's  Ordinary  Stock  on 
PASS  BOOK  TO  his  behalf  in  the  names  of  three  Trustees,  and  only  the  other 
RATELY^BONUS  nalf»  which  sna1^  be  entered  on  another  page  in  the  Pass 
WITHDRAWABLE  Book  with  which  each  Profit-sharer  shall  be  provided,  shall 
*NVDESTMENT.F°R  be  payable  in  cash,  as  is  the  case  with  the  Bonus  on  the  Old 

Scale,  and  may  be  withdrawn  in  whole  or  in  part  or  any  accu- 
mulations thereof  including  interest  at  any  time  upon  giving  not  less  than 
seven  days'  notice  on  a  form  provided  for  the  purpose.  If  not  withdrawn,  this 
portion  of  the  Bonus  will  remain  in  the  Company's  hands  to  accumulate  at 
Four  per  cent,  interest.  Under  no  circumstances  whatever,  except  fraud,  shall 
the  Bonus  or  any  part  or  any  accumulations  thereof,  whether  in  the  hands  of 
the  Trustees  or  in  the  name  of  the  Employe,  be  forfeited.  Only  those  Winter 
men  who  arrange  to  return  the  following  Winter  can  have  the  Bonus  on  the 
New  Scale,  and  any  such  man  not  returning  the  following  Winter  can,  on 
application  to  the  Trustees,  obtain  whatever  sum  he  may  have  left  in  their 
hands,  which  will  be  payable  on  or  after  the  3ist  December. 

'  6.     The    Committee    shall    appoint   three    Trustees,  one   Director,    one 
Officer,  and  one  Profit-sharing  Workman,  in  whose  names  the  half  bonus  shall 

be  invested  annually,  and  the  dividends  as  they  accrue,  in 
MONEY  IN  the  Company's  Ordinary  Stock.  A  separate  account  of 

HANDS"*  the  principal  and  of  the  interest  (which  will  be  at  the  rate  of 

about  5  per  cent.)  made  up  once  every  year  shall  be  kept 
for  each  man,  and  when  the  amount  standing  in  any  man's  name  shall  be 
sufficient,  either  alone,  or  with  additions  made  by  himself,  to  purchase  at  the 


52 

market  price  ^5  or  more  of  stock,  the  Trustees  shall,  unless  requested  to  the 
contrary,  transfer  such  amount  to  him,  he  paying  only  the  cost  of  the  Govern- 
ment Stamp.  In  the  event  of  leaving  the  service  of  the  Company,  or  Winter 
men  not  returning  the  following  year,  or  on  the  death  of  any  depositor,  the 
Trustees  shall  pay  to  him  or  to  his  representatives,  in  accordance  with  Rules  5 
and  10,  whatever  money  may  be  standing  in  his  name  in  their  hands,  but  under 
no  other  circumstances  shall  any  money  be  withdrawn  from  the  Trustees. 

7.  Interest  at  the  rate  of  4  per  cent,  per  annum   shall  be   allowed  on   all 

withdrawable  amounts,  excluding  fractions  of  a  pound,  left 
INTEREST  ON  with  the  Company;  the  said  interest  shall  be  calculated  up  to 
DR>AVtfABLEITH  June  3otn  in  eacn  year,  and  no  interest  shall  be  allowed  for 

any  time  less  than  three  months,  should  the  money  be  with- 
drawn at  any  intermediate  period.  (See  Note.) 

8.  The  Company  will,  in  addition  to  the  Bonus  that  may  be  deposited  in 

their  hands  by  any  Workman,  receive  and  add  to  his  account 
SAVINGS  MAY  such  amounts  as  the  Workman  may  be  able  to  pay  to  the 
W^TH^OM'PANY.  Company  from  his  savings,  and  on  all  such  sums  so  received 

the  Company  will  pay  interest  thereon  at  the  rate  of  4  per 
cent,  per  annum,  as  per  Rule  7. 

9.  The  Company  will,  on  the  application  of  any  of  their  Employe's,  make 
arrangements  for  the  transfer  and  investment  of  the  m  mey  deposited  by  them 

or  any  other  money  they  may  desire  to  invest,  into  the  Stock 
INVESTMENTS  or  Shares  of  the  Company,  which  will  pay  to  the  investors 
sroc<K?IP  about  5  per  cent,  interest.  Any  Employe,  being  a  Share- 

holder, can  at  any  time  sell  his  Stock  at  the  market  price,  on 
application  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Profit-sharing  Committee. 

10.  Any  Workman  may  at  any  time  nominate,  in  writing,  any  person  as 
his  representative  in  the  event  of  his  death,  and,  on  the  receipt  of  the   nom- 
ination  by   the    Secretary,    such    person   will    thereafter   be 

REpREs^ENTATnTE  treated  as  the  legal  representative  of  the  said  Workman,  and 
IN  EVENT  OF  on  the  production  of  the  Registrar's  Certificate  of  Death,  he 
may  withdraw  the  whole  of  the  money  standing  to  the  credit 
of  the  deceased  Workman ;  but  if  no  nomination  has  been  made  or  no  provision 
for  legal  representation  otherwise  taken,  the  money  will,  on  the  production  of 
the  Certificate  aforesaid,  be  paid  to  the  next  of  kin  of  the  deceased  Workman. 
Whenever  under  this  Rule  on  the  decease  of  an  Employe  the  Company  has 
paid  to  the  person  so  nominated  the  amount  standing  to  such  deceased 
Employees  credit,  such  payment  shall  be  valid  and  effectual  against  any  demand 
made  upon  or  against  the  Company  by  any  person  whatsoever. 

11.  A   Committee   of  Management   shall   be   elected,  to  consist  of    the 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  and  17  members  elected  by  the  Board,  and 

18  members  elected  by  the  Profit-sharers  in  proportion  to  the 
COMMITTEE.  numbers  at  each  Station,  who  shall  be  elected  by  ballot;  one- 

third  of  the  members  of  the  Committee  to  retire  by  rotation 
every  year,  but  to  be  eligible  for  re-election.  Seventeen  members  shall  con- 

NOTE. — The  rate  of  interest  was  reduced  in  1898  to  3  per  cent,  on  the 
excess  of  all  deposits  over  £20— i.e.,  up  to  £20  in  all  cases  4  per  cent.,  and 
3  per  cent  on  all  beyond  that  amount. 


53 

stitute  a  quorum,  of  which  not  less  than  8  shall  be  Workmen,  and  every 
resolution  to  be  binding  at  such  Meeting  shall  have  for  its  support  a  majority 
of  the  members  of  the  Committee  present  at,  and  voting  upon,  the  resolution. 

12.  The  Committee  shall  appoint  a  Secretary,  who  shall 

SECRETARY. 

have  no  power  of  voting. 

13.  In  the  event  of  any  difference  arising  as  to  the  con- 
OFTRULESTATI°N   struction  °f  these  Rules,  it  shall  be  referred  to  the  Committee, 

whose  decision  shall  be  final  and  conclusive. 

14.     There  shall  be  two  Auditors,  one  to  be  elected  by  the  Workmen,  the 

other  to  be  appointed  by  the  Company,  whose  duty  will  be  to 

AUDITOR.  compare   and   initial   the   Workman's    Pass    Book   with    the 

General  Account,  and  for  that  purpose  all  Pass   Books  must  be  handed  in 

or  sent  to  the  Head  Office  in  the  month  of  June  in  each  year. 

TO  STATE  When  sending  the  Pass   Book  to  the  Secretary,  each   Profit- 


snarer  is  to  say,  on  a  form  to  be  provided  for  the  purpose, 
ON  OLD  SCALE  whether  his  Bonus  is  to  be  on  the  Old  Scale  or  the  New.  Such 

Winter  men  only  as  arrange  to  come  back  the  following 
Winter  can  have  their  Bonus  on  the  New  Scale.  Any  workman  can  also  say 
whether  he  wishes  any  other  part  of  his  Bonus  or  savings  invested  by  the 
Trustees. 

15.  The  Committee  shall  meet  for  the  transaction  of  business  when 
summoned  by  the  Secretary,  but  not  less  than  twice  in  each 
year;  and  on  a  requisition  of  twenty  employes  or  three  of 
their  own  number  at  any  time. 

16.     The  Secretary   shall  receive   all   Notices,   summon 
aii  Meetings  of  the  Committee,  and  obey  the  orders  of  Com- 
mittee in  all  other  matters  and  things  whatsoever. 
17.     No  alteration  shall  be  made  in  these  Rules  whatever  except  by  the 
sanction  of  the  Committee,  and  subject  to  notice  of  at  least  one  calendar  month  ; 
which  notice  shall  state  the  nature  of  the  alterations,  and  be 
ALTERATION   OF     posted  in  conspicuous  places   at   the   various    stations;    but 
nothing  in  these  Rules  contained,  or  which  may  be  contained 
in  any  Rules  hereafter  agreed  upon,  shall  give  to  any  Employe",  whether  Officer 
or  Workman,   any  right  to  interfere  in  the  management   or   control   of  the 
Company's  Works,  or  in  the  working  and   carrying   on   of  the    Company's 
business. 

1  8.     The  Company  shall  provide  all  the  books  and  other 

PROVIDE  ALL          incidentals,  and  keep  the  accounts,  together  with  a  record  of 
BOOKS,  AC.  all  tjie  transactjonS)  at  the  Company's  sole  cost  and  charges. 


54 

FORMS. 


Rule  5. 

SOUTH  METROPOLITAN  GAS  COMPANY. 

July,  189 

To  the  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  PROFIT-SHARING  CONTRACTS. 
GENTLEMEN, 

/  hereby  give  you  seven  days*  notice  of  my  intention  to 
Here 
insert    "the 

whole"    or       withdraw* 

"the  sum   of  1 

£  :     '          of  the  money  now  standing  to  my  credit  therein,  and  shall  thank 

you  to  make  arrangements  accordingly. 


Rule  9. 

SOUTH  METROPOLITAN  GAS  COMPANY. 


To  the  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  PROFIT-SHARING  CONTRACTS. 
GENTLEMEN, 

I  desire  you  to  invest  for  me  in  the  Company  'j* 

the  sum  of  £ of  the  money  now  to  my  credit  herein. 


*  Describe 
the  Shares  or 
Stock. 


55 

Rule  10. 

SOUTH  METROPOLITAN  GAS  COMPANY. 


189 

To  the  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  PROFIT-SHARING  CONTRACTS. 
GENTLEMEN, 
(1}     Here  I  nominate  and  appoint  Mr.  (1) 

insert  the  full 

name.  


(2)     Here 

insert   place       as  my  legal  representative  in  the  event  of  my  death. 
of     residence 
with   calling 
or  Trade. 


Id. 
STAMP. 


N.B. — The  person  nominated  must  not  be  an  Officer  of 
the  "Profit-sharing  Contracts"  nor  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mittee, unless  such  person  be  father,  brother,  son  or  nephew 
of  the  nominator. 


Rule  14. 

SOUTH  METROPOLITAN  GAS  COMPANY. 


To  the  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  PROFIT-SHARING  CONTRACTS. 

GENTLEMEN, 

I  desire  to  have  my  Bonus  on  the*  .............................................       «  Here  insert 

Scale.  New   or  Old- 

Signature  ............................................  .  ......................................  _ 

NOTE.  —  If  it  is  desired  to  have  any  further  monies  in- 
vested with  the  Trustees,  please  state  the  amount  below. 

I  also  desire  to  have  invested  with  the   Trustee?,  the 
following  sum  £  ................................... 


Signature  . 
Profit-sharing  No. 


56 


BONUS  AND  SAVINGS  ACCOUNT.      WITHDRAWABLE. 


Date. 

Bonus, 
[nterest,  or 
Savings. 

Amount. 

SlGXAl  URE. 

Auditor. 

£ 

s. 

d. 

189 

Brought  ) 
from     Old  V 
Pass  Book.  > 

June  30 

Bonus 

1 

•      : 

Carried 
forward 

57 
BONUS  AND  SAVINGS  ACCOUNT  FOR  INVESTMENT  WITH  TRUSTEES. 


Date. 

Bonus, 
Interest,    or 
Savings. 

Amount. 

SIGNATURE. 

Auditor. 

-ion 

£ 

s. 

d. 

June  30 

Bonus 

< 

Carried 
forward 

58 
APPENDIX  B. 

FORM   OF  AGREEMENT 

OF  THE 

CRYSTAL  PALACE   DISTRICT  GAS   COMPANY. 


GENERAL 

AGREEMENT. 


Wages  No. 


Profit-Sharing  No. 


MEMORANDUM  OF  AN  AGREEMENT 

made  the  day  of  l%99,  between  SYDNEY 

YARRELL  SHOUBRIDGE,  for  and  on  behalf  of  the  CRYSTAL  PALACE  DIS- 
TRICT GAS  COMPANY,  of  Lower  Sydenham,  in  the  County  of  London,  of 
the  one  part,  and  of  the 

other  part. 

1.  The  said  SYDNEY  YARRELL  SHOUBRIDGE  for  the  CRYSTAL  PALACE 
DISTRICT  GAS  COMPANY  agrees  to  employ  the  said 

for  a  period  of  months 

from  the  day  of  the  date  hereof  at  the  works  of  the  said  Company,  if  he  shall 
remain  sober,  honest,  industrious,  and  able  to  do  the  work  allotted  to  him. 

2.  The  said  agrees  to  serve  the  said 
Company  for  the  said  period  of                    months  in  whatever  capacity  he  may 
from  time  to  time  be  employed  by  the  said  Company  at  the  current  rate  of 
wages  applying  to  such  capacity. 

3.  The  said  agrees  to  obey  the 
orders  of  the  Foreman  in  charge. 

4.  The  hours  of  working  for  yard  men  to  be  52^  hours  per  week. 

5.  The  Company  undertakes  that  during  the  continuance  of  this  Agree- 
ment the  different  rates  of  wages  in  force  at  the  date  hereof,  and  which,  und«r 
Clause  2,  may  become  payable  to  the  said 

shall  not  be  reduced. 

6.  The  said 

to  be  entitled  to  the  benefit  and  be  bound  by  the  conditions  of  the  annexed 
notice,  so  long  as  he  shall  continue  in  the  service  of  the  Company  under 
agreement. 

As  WITNESS  the  hands  of  the  parties, 


59 

No  obstacle  will  be  thrown  in  the  way  of  any  man  engaged  under  the  above 
Contract  who  may  wish  to  leave  the  Company's  employment  before  the 
expiration  of  the  period  of  service  therein  agreed  for,  provided  he  shall 
notify  such  wish  to  the  Engineer,  and  on  receipt  of  such  notice  the 
Engineer  shall,  in  his  discretion,  consider  whether  the  services  of  such  man 
can  be  dispensed  with  without  detriment  to  the  Company,  and  if  so,  per- 
mission wiil  be  given  at  the  expiration  of  the  usual  week's  notice. 

NOTICE   TO    WINTER    MEN. 

The  Directors  have  given  the  Regular  Men,  who  work  under  Agreement, 
the  privilege  of  taking  their  share  in  profits  annually. 

The  Directors  have,  therefore,  resolved  to  place  the  Winter  Men  on  a 
somewhat  similar  footing.  Any  Winter  Man  who  signs  an  agreement  for  any 
period  not  less  than  three  months  shall  be  entitled,  on  leaving  in  an  honour- 
able manner  after  the  said  three  months,  or  such  other  extended  time  as  shall 
be  agreed  upon,  to  the  bonus  on  his  wages  provided  for  in  the  Rules. 

He  may  take  half  the  money  in  cash,  and  the  other  half,  if  he  intends  to 
return  next  season,  and  if  the  foreman  certifies  his  fitness  to  do  so,  shall  be  left 
in  the  hands  of  the  Trustees,  as  provided  in  the  Rules  drawn  up  by  the  Com- 
mittee, but  should  he  not  arrange  to  return  the  following  season,  then  he  will 
be  paid  two-thirds  of  the  total  amount  of  the  bonus. 

(Signed  by  Order] 

CHARLES   M.  OHREN, 

Secretary. 

APPENDIX   C. 
SOUTH    METROPOLITAN    GAS    COMPANY. 


Scheme  for  the  Election  of  Employees'  Directors  made  under 

the  Provisions  of  the  South  Metropolitan  Gas  Act,  1896, 

and  the  South  Metropolitan  Gas  Act,  1897. 


I.     Whereas  provision  was  made  by  Section  19  of  the  South  Metropolitan 
Gas  Act,  1896,  authorising  the  Directors  to  prepare  a  scheme  for  the  election 
of  one  or  more  Directors  by  the  Shareholding  employees  of  the  Company  as 
follows : 
SECTION  19. 

(i)  "At  any  time  after  the  total  investments  of  the  employees  of  the 
"  Company  in  the  ordinary  stock  of  the  Company  dating  from  the 
"  distribution  of  the  first  profit-sharing  bonus  in  July  one  thousand 
"  eight  hundred  and  ninety  shall  exceed  the  nominal  amount  of 
"  forty  thousand  pounds  of  such  stock  the  Directors  of  the  Com- 
"  pany  may  as  and  when  they  deem  expedient  prepare  a  scheme  for 
"the  purpose  of  enabling  employees  holding  ordinary  stock  of  the 
"  Company  to  elect  one  or  more  of  their  number  but  not  exceeding 
"  three  to  be  a  director  or  directors  of  the  Company." 


60 

(2)  "  The  scheme  shall  be  submitted  to  a  special  general  meeting  of  the 
"  Company  duly  called  with  notice  of  the  business  to  be  considered 
"  thereat  and  the  meeting  may  adopt  the  scheme   either  without 
"alteration  or  with  such  alterations  (not  being  inconsistent  with 
"  the  provisions  of  this  Act)  as  the  directors  may  assent  to." 

(3)  "  The  scheme  so  adopted  shall  be  submitted  for  the  approval  of  the 
"  Board  of  Trade  and  that   Board  may  consider  the  same  and  may 
"either  approve  the  same  without  alteration  or   may  suggest  any 
"  alterations   therein    or   may    disapprove   the    same    and    if    the 
"  directors  assent  to  the  alterations  (if  any)  so  suggested  the  Board 
"  of  Trade  may  approve  the  scheme  as  altered." 

(4)  "  The  scheme  when   approved  shall  be  published  in  the  London 
"  Gazette  and  (subject  as  hereinafter  provided)  shall  for  the  period 
"  of  three  years  and  no  longer  from  the  date  of  such  publication 
"have  effect   Provided  that  if  at  any  time  during  that  period  the 
"  amount  of  the  investment  of  the  employees  in  the  stock  of  the 
"  Company  should  fall  below  the  nominal  amount  of  forty  thousand 
"  pounds  the  scheme  shall  cease  to  be  in  force." 

(5)  "  On  the  cesser  of  such  scheme  and  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this 
"  Act  and  to  the   like   submission   adoption   and   approval   a  new 
"  scheme  may  at  any  time  be  adopted  for  any  period  that  may  be 
"  in  that  scheme  prescribed  and  so  from  time  to  time." 

(6)  "The  qualification  of  an  employees'  director   shall  be  fixed  by  the 
"scheme  for  the  time  being  subject  to  the   following  limitations. 
"  The  employees'  directors  shall  have  been  not  less  than  seven  years 
"  in  the  constant  employ  of  the  Company  and  shall  hate  held  for 
"  not  less  than  twelve  months  prior  to  the  date  of  election  and  shall 
"continue    to   hold   not   less  than  two  hundred   and  fifty  pounds 
"  nominal  value  of  the  ordinary  stock  of  the  Company." 

(7)  "  The  fees  to  be  paid  to  an  employees'  director  for  his  attendance 
"at  the  Board  shall  be  fixed  by  the  scheme.     The  fees    shall  bear 
"  some  proportion  to  the  amount  of  the  qualification  not  being  less 
"than   his   ordinary   day's   pay   nor   more   than    four    times    that 
"  amount." 

(8)  "The  scale  and  method  of  voting  for  and  the  mode  of  election  of 
"employees'  directors  shall  be  settled  by  the  scheme   and  may  be 
"  varied  by  successive  schemes  from  time  to  time." 

And  whereas  by  the  South  Metropolitan  Gas  Act,  1897,  the  qualification 
of  an  Employees'  Director  was  reduced  from  the  said  sum  of  ^25010  the  sum 
of  ;£ioo. 

And  whereas  the  total  investments  of  the  Employees  in  the  Ordinary 
Stock  of  the  Company  exceed  the  nominal  amount  of  ^40,000. 

Now,  therefore,  the  Directors  of  the  Company,  acting  in  pursuance  of  the 
powers  conferred  on  them  in  that  behalf  by  the  said  Acts,  have  prepared  the 
following  scheme,  that  is  to  say  :  — 

I.     In  this  scheme 

"The     Company"     means    the     South    Metropolitan    Gas 

INTERPRETATION.  ' 

Company. 


"  Employees"    means   persons  in  ihe  employ  of  the  Company  and  holding 

Stock  in  the  Capital  of  the  Company. 
"  Employees'  Director"  means  a  Director  elected  by  the  Employees. 

2.  This  scheme  shall  come  into  operation  as  soon  as  it  has  been  adopted 
by  the  Shareholders  of  the  Company  in  manner  provided  by  the  South  Metro- 
politan Gas  Act,  1896,  and  approved  by  the  Board  of  Trade, 

OF"SCHEMEME   T    and  sha11  continue  in  force  for  3  years  and  no  longer,  subject 

to  cesser,  if  the  amount  of  the  investment  of  the  Employees 

in  the  Stock  of  the  Company  shall  fall  below  the  nominal  amount  of  ^40,000. 

3.  Employees  in  receipt  of  weekly  wages  shall  have  the  power  to  elect 

two  Directors,   herein   referred  to  as   "the  two  Directors," 

NUMBER     OF  •  '••»•«  i  rf  •     •  1        •  11 

EMPLOYEE  and    Employees    on    the    staff   receiving    salaries,    payable 

DIRECTORS.  monthly,    shall    have    the    power    to    elect    one    Director, 

or    three    in    all. 

SCALE  OF                        4.     Every    employee    shall    have  for  this  purpose   one 
vote  for  every  ten  pounds  of  Stock  held  in  his  own  name,  or 
jointly  with  that  of  his  wife  or  child,  up  to  ;£ioo 10  Votes. 

One  vote  for  every  ^25  above  the  first  ^100  up  to  ^300     8  Addl.  Votes. 

One  vote  for  every  ^50  above  the  first  ^300  up  to  ^1,000  14      ,,  ,, 

Above  ^1,000,  no  more  votes,  thus  giving  a  maximum  of  32  Votes. 

5.  The  qualification  of  an  Employees'  Director  shall  be  the  having  been 
QUALIFICATION       not  less  than  seven  years  in,   and  continuing  in,  the  employ 
OF  EMPLOYEES-      of  the  Company,  and  the  having  held  for  not  less  than  twelve 

months  prior  to  the  date  of  election,  and  the  continuing  to 
hold,  not  less  than  ,£100  in  the  Stock  of  the  Company. 

6.  The  Company  shall,  one  calendar  month  at  least  prior  to  the  date  of 
election,  make  out  an  alphabetical  list  of  all   the  employees  possessing  the 

necessary  qualification  to  act  as  Directors,  giving  the  name 
NOMINATION  OF  of  the  Station  at  which  each  candidate  is  employed,  his  length 

CANDIDATES.  .  .  .  , 

of  service,  and  his  occupation.  Such  list  shall  be  printed 
and  posted  up  for  seven  days  in  conspicuous  places  at  the  various  Works  or 
Stations  of  the  Company,  and  shall  be  supplied  to  any  Shareholding  employee 
on  application  at  the  Head  Office  or  the  Office  of  his  Station.  Any  qualified 
employee  not  wishing  to  be  a  candidate  can  have  his  name  withdrawn  by 
writing  to  the  Secretary  to  that  effect  within  eight  days  from  the  posting  up  of 
the  list,  and  his  name  shall,  forthwith,  be  struck  out  of  the  posted  lists. 

7.  For  the  first   Election   (when   the   Directors  are  to  be  elected),  every 
voter  at  each   Station,   and  at  subsequent  Elections  when,  in  consequence  of 

death  or  retirement  only  one  Director  is  to  be  elected,  every 
SELECTION  OF  voter  at  each  Station,  except  the  Station  at  which  the  director 
BY  EACcAHNsTATK>N  remaining  upon  the  Board  is  employed,  shall  be  supplied 

with  a  voting  paper  in  the  form  prescribed  in  the  Schedule  A 
attached  hereto.  Such  voting  paper  shall  be  addressed  personally  to  each 
voter  and  shall  contain  the  names  of  all  the  workmen  employed  at  the  Station 
who  are  qualified  and  willing  to  act  as  Directors.  If  he  desires  to  record  his 
vote  he  shall  place  his  full  number  of  votes,  as  set  out  on  the  voting  paper, 


62 

against  the  name  of  any  one  candidate  whom  he  thinks  best  fitted  to  become  a 
Director,  sign  the  paper  and  hand  it  to  the  persons,  viz.,  one  officer  nominated 
by  the  Board,  and  the  last  elected  workman  member  of  the  Profit-sharing 
Committee  who  shall  be  appointed  to  receive  it.  In  the  event  of  any  candidate 
receiving  a  majority  of  the  total  number  of  votes  polled  at  his  Station,  he  shall 
be  the  selected  candidate  for  that  Station  ;  but  should  this  not  be  the  case, 
new  voting  papers  shall  be  issued  containing  the  names  of  the  two  candidates 
who  received  the  highest  numbers  of  votes.  A  second  vote  shall  in  that  event 
be  taken,  and  the  candidate  who  receives  the  highest  number  of  votes  shall 
then  be  the  selected  candidate  for  that  Station. 

8.  When  this  selection  has  been  made,  another  voting  paper  (Schedule 
B),  containing  the  names  of  the  selected  candidates  of  the  several  Stations, 
shall  on  the  first  occasion  of  electing  two  Workmen  Directors, 
FORATwoTwo<RK  ^e  suPPlied  to  cv^ry  voter  at  all  the  Stations.  Voters  must 
MEN  DIRECTORS,  put  the  full  number  of  their  votes  against  each  of  any  two 
names,  or  their  voting  papers  will  be  spoiled  and  their  votes 
lost.  At  subsequent  Elections,  when  only  one  Director  is  to  be  elected,  the 
process,  as  set  out  in  this  clause,  shall  be  repeated,  with  the  single  alteration 
that  the  full  number  of  votes  shall  be  placed  against  one  name  only. 
REPRESENTATION  9.  No  Station  shall  at  any  time  have  more  than  one 
l-rAT^oNs08  Workman  Director  on  the  Board. 

10.     One  Director  of  flie  two  Directors  elected   under  this  scheme  shall 

RETIREMENT  OF     ret^re  after  the  first  Board  Meeting  in  the  month  of  November 

EMPLOYEE  every  year.     If  duly  qualified,  the  retiring  Director  shall  be 

eligible  for  re-election.     The  first  retirement  shall  be  settled 

by  ballot,  the  following  ones  by  rotation. 

n.     The  first  and  succeeding  elections,  except  in  the  case  of  unexpected 
vacancies,  shall  take  place  between  the  1st  of  September  and  the  1st  of  Novem- 
ber  in  each  year,    on  a   date   to   be    fixed   by    the    Boatd. 
ILECT°ON  Employee  Directors  whose  turn  it  is  to  retire  shall  continue 

to  serve  until  their  successors  are  appointed  and  take  office. 
In  the  event  of  retirement  at  other  than  the  usual  time,  by  leaving  the  service 
of  the  Company,  or  the  death  of  an  Employee  Director,  a  successor  shall  be 
elected  within  two  months,  at  a  date  to  be  fixed  by  the  Board,  who  shall  take 
the  place,  and  retire  in  the  turn,  of  the  late  Director. 

12.  The  Employee  Directors  shall  have  their  ordinary  duties  and  the  pay 
attaching  thereto  suspended  during  the  time  that  is   found  to   be  necessary 

for  their  duties  as  Directors.  The  fees  shall  "bear  some 
FEES.  proportion  to  the  amount  of  their  qualification,"  relatively  to 

those  of  ordinary  Directors,  which  are  equal  to  one-fifth  part 
of  the  nominal  value  of  their  qualification,  and  will  accordingly  be  about  £20 
per  annum.  The  fees  for  their  service  as  Directors  shall  be  the  amount  they 
would  have  earned  if  they  had  been  at  their  ordinary  employment,  plus  los.  6d. 
for  each  weekly  attendance. 

13.  The  above  regulations  shall,  so  far  as  is  necessary  and  practicable, 
STAFF  REPRE-        apply  mutatis  mutandis  to  the  election  of  a  Director  by  the 
SENTATION.  salaried  officers  of  the  Company. 

PASSED  BY  THE  BOARD,  July  6th,  1898. 


63 


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65 

MR.  SnEivTON  :  Before  resuming  my  seat,  for  such  discus- 
sion as  the  Congress  may  desire  to  make  on  this  paper,  I  want 
to  read  a  letter  I  have  had  the  honor  of  receiving  from  Sir 
George  lyivesey,  of  the  South  Metropolitan  Gas  Company, 
London,  England.  It  has  been  well  known  that  this  Com- 
pany was  and  is  the  most  successful  instance  of  labor-saving 
co-partnership  work  of  any  gas  company  on  the  face  of  the 
earth.  I  wrote  Sir  George  for  information  and  a  copy 
of  some  of  the  blanks  which  they  used  in  their  work,  and  he 
is  so  interested  in  the  subject  that  he  has  been  kind  enough  to 
give  me  quite  an  extended  personal  letter  that  is  so  germane 
to  the  subject,  so  reflects  his  interest — he  being  the  leading 
exponent  of  the  movement  to  improve  the  workingmen's 
condition  in  connection  with  gas  company  work — and  is  so 
appropriate  to  the  subject  that,  while  I  have  not  had  express 
permission  from  him  to  read  this  personal  letter,  I  am  willing 
to  take  the  chance  that  he  is  sufficiently  enthusiastic  on  the 
subject  to  be  willing  to  have  me  read  the  letter,  because  it 
quite  well  reviews  the  subject,  gives  his  own  experiences, 
covers  the  present  state  of  the  movement  in  connection  with 
his  Company,  and  so  well  fits  in  with  the  question  we  are 
about  to  discuss  that  with  your  permission  I  will  read  it.-* 

SOUTH    METROPOLITAN   GAS   COMPANY, 
709  OLD  KENT  ROAD,  S.  E. 

Telegraphic  Address  : 
METROGAS,  LONDON. 

F.  H.  SHEI/TON,  ESQ.  December  21,  1903. 

My  Dear  Sir :  In  response  to  your  enquiry  about  our  co- 
partnership system,  I  could  not  write  a  short  letter,  and, 
therefore,  being  busy  at  the  time  put  it  off  for  a  more  con- 
venient season,  with  the  usual  result,  to  my  regret.  I  am, 
however,  I  believe  in  time  for  your  purpose.  The  details  of 
our  system  are  set  out  in  our  Rules  and  some  pamphlets 
which  I  send  you,  but  I  should  like  to  add  some  explanation 
and  details  that  may  be  of  use  to  you. 

*  Sir  George  Livesey  has  since  given  permission  to  publish  this  letter. 


66 

I  am  aware  of  the  difficulties  in  the  United  States  and 
noticed  in  an  English  paper  last  week  a  remark  of  Carroll  D. 
Wright,  that  the  wage  hire  system  had  failed.  I  came  to  the 
same  conclusion  some  years  ago — by  failure,  I  understand  the 
inability  of  wages  to  create  a  true  bond  of  union  between 
employer  and  employed,  and  also  to  induce  the  wage-earner 
to  do  his  best.  He  says  in  effect,  "  My  employer's  business  is 
his  business  and  not  mine,"  whereas  we  want  him  to  regard  it 
as  "Our  business. ' ' 

Well,  in  1889,  when  the  Gas  Workers'  Union  had  got  com- 
plete control  in  our  retort  houses  and  was  bringing  pressure 
on  all  our  other  men — yardmen,  mechanics  and  others,  to  join 
the  Union,  our  chief  foreman  at  the  Old  Kent  Road  works 
came  to  me  in  October  of  that  year,  and  said  if 'something  was 
not  done  to  attach  the  non-unionists  to  the  Company,  they 
would  all  be  FORCED  into  the  Union,  and  we  should  be 
absolutely  in  their  power.  I  there  and  then  formulated  our 
Profit-sharing  scheme,  the  Board  approved,  and  it  was  offered 
to  the  men;  the  non-unionists  at  once  accepted,  and  the  entire 
1000  of  them  signed  the  agreement  within  a  fortnight,  but  all 
the  retort  house  men  were  ordered  by  the  Union  not  to  accept, 
and  they,  2000  in  number  in  the  beginning  of  December, 
struck  because  we  would  not  withdraw  the  Profit-sharing.  I 
send,  with  other  papers,  a  report  to  the  shareholders  giving 
particulars. 

We  told  the  men  from  the  first  that  our  two  objects  were  to 
attach  them  to  the  Company,  by  giving  them  an  interest 
beyond  their  wages,  and  to  give  them  the  opportunity  to  im- 
prove their  position  in  life.  To  this  end  they  were  given  the 
option  of  leaving  their  annual  Profit-sharing  bonus  in  the 
Company's  hands  at  interest,  and  to  our  surprise,  as  much  as 
45$  of  it  was  so  left.  We  have  now  got  up  to  90$  or  more, 
by  patiently  working  with  them  to  that  end. 

We  soon,  however,  found  that  simple  Profit-sharing  did  not 
go  far  enough — its  effect  was  good  undoubtedly  in  creating  a 
feeling  of  good  will  to  the  Company,  but  it  did  not  do  any 
permanent  good — often  harm — to  those  who  drew  out  their 
annual  bonus  in  cash,  and  that  being  so,  it  was  to  that  extent 
a  failure. 


67 

In  1894  we  altered  our  Rules  and  made  only  half  the  bonus 
payable  in  cash,  or  it  might  be  left  at  interest  as  before,  while 
the  other  half  was  invested  in  the  Company's  ordinary  stock, 
thus  making  the  employees  of  all  ranks  shareholders.  This 
has  now  grown  to  a  big  thing — the  employees,  some  4000  in 
number,  have  now  about  ,£190,000  in  the  Company  in  stock, 
the  greater  part,  etc.,  on  deposit.  Many  have  also  bought 
their  houses,  consequently  some  ,£200,000  of  property  is  now 
held  by  them,  or  an  average  of  about  ,£50  per  man.  We  have 
now  altered  the  name  to  co-partnership,  and  the  fact  that  practi- 
cally all  our  people  are  stockholders  gives  them  a  vastly  greater 
interest  in  the  Company  than  could  have  been  produced  by 
any  system  of  simple  Profit-sharing. 

Beyond  this,  we  have  now  had  since  1898,  two  workmen 
elected  by  their  fellow-workmen  stockholders  to  sit  on  the 
Board  with  the  other  Directors,  and  since  1901  the  clerks  have 
elected  one  of  their  number  as  a  Director  also.  The  thing  has 
worked  most  admirably — at  first  some  of  my  colleagues  were 
afraid  of  it,  but  all  are  converted  now.  Nothing  whatever 
has  been  kept  from  these  workmen's  Directors,  and  nothing 
done  at  the  Board  without  them,  or  behind  their  backs,  and  I 
am  glad  to  be  able  to  say,  our  confidence  has  never  been 
betrayed  in  any  way — they  are  all  and  always  thoroughly 
loyal,  and  they  also  satisfy  their  constituents,  for  the  two 
workmen  Directors  have  retired  three  times,  one  every  year, 
but  have  always  been  re-elected,  the  clerk  has  been  re-elected 
once — their  influence  on  the  Board  and  with  their  fellow 
employees  is  all  that  could  be  wished. 

Since  the  system  was  started  fourteen  years  ago,  there  has 
never  been  the  slightest  difference  or  difficulty  with  any  of  our 
men,  and  the  relation  between  them  and  the  Directors  and 
officers  are  of  the  happiest  character. 

Of  course,  there  are  some  men  who  do  not  show  the  same 
interest  as  the  great  majority,  but  they  are  constantly  decreas- 
ing in  number  and  now  are  a  very  small  minority. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  system  will  work  itself. 
It  must  be  intelligently  and  sympathetically  worked  ;  for 
instance,  discrimination  must  be  exercised,  good,  bad  and  in- 
different men  must  not  all  be  treated  alike,  or  the  eifect  will 


68 

soon  cease.  It  failed  for  the  first  two  or  three  years  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  Gas  Company  for  this  very  reason — the  en- 
gineer gave  agreements  to  all  the  men,  but  when  Mr.  Shou- 
bridge  came  in  1897,  ne  used  discrimination  and  worked  the 
system  intelligently,  and  has  now  made  it  a  grand  success, 
better,  I  think,  than  the  South  Metropolitan's  itself.  I  hope 
to  have  workmen  Directors  there  also  next  year. 

I  attach  great  importance  to  the  agreements  which  the  men 
greatly  value.  If  a  man  is  careless  and  indifferent  about  his 
work,  he  is  told  when  his  agreement  expires  that  it  will  not 
be  renewed  until  he  improves,  and  he  may  apply  again  in 
three  months,  when,  if  the  improvement  has  taken  place,  he 
is  allowed  to  sign  again,  but  not  for  a  year  as  usual,  but  for 
three  or  four  months.  These  agreements  do  not  all  run  con- 
currently, but  expire  at  various  times  throughout  the  year. 
The  Union  wanted  them  all  to  be  terminable  at  any  time  on  a 
month's  notice,  but  this  we  would  not  agree  to,  and  the  men 
did  not  wish  it. 

Again,  if  a  man  regularly  draws  out  the  withdrawable  half 
bonus  and  sells  his  stock,  we  tell  him  that  he  is  an  enemy  to> 
the  co-partnership  system,  and  his  agreement  is  stopped  until 
he  saves  by  weekly  installments  an  amount  equal  to  two- 
weeks'  wages,  when  we  give  him  another  trial — this  has  been 
the  means  of  converting  numbers  of  thriftless  into  thrifty  men. 
We  advise  the  men  to  have  their  stock  registered  in  the  joint 
names  of  themselves  and  their  wives,  and  most  of  them  do  so. 
They  are  thus  less  likely  to  sell  their  stock,  and  in  the  event 
of  death  it  becomes  the  property  of  the  survivor.  We  arrange 
that  all  purchases  and  sales  shall  be  done  through  the  Com- 
pany, at  the  current  market  price,  for  we  found  some  men 
were  selling  .it  to  a  publican  at  much  below  its  value.  We 
havfc.  made  a  rule  that  men  who  sell  outside  shall  have  their 
agreements  stopped.  This  friendly  pressure  has  been  appreci- 
ated and  many  men  have  thanked  me  and  the  officers  who- 
work  the  system,  for  exercising  it. 

I  am  convinced  with  Mazzini,  the  great  Italian  patriot,  that 
the  position  of  the  labourer  which  was  first  the  slave,  then  the 
serf,  next  the  wage  hireling,  must  ultimately  be  that  of  the 
partner,  and  this  is  our  goal.  It  is  the  true  solution  of  the 


69 

relationship  of  Capital  and  Labour.  Your  countryman,  Mr. 
Maurice  D.  Low,  Commissioner  from  your  Government  to 
Europe,  to  inquire  about  Trade  Unions,  etc.,  had  a  long  inter- 
view with  me  and  wrote  me  afterwards  saying  our  plan  was 
the  best  he  had  met  with,  and  in  his  opinion  was  the  true 
solution  of  the  great  problem. 

That  the  result  of  our  fourteen  years'  work  should  have 
been  what  it  is,  has  surpassed  what  anyone  conceived  as  pos- 
sible ;  in  fact,  no  one  ever  dreamed  that  the  result  would  be 
what  it  is,  especially  that  so  large  a  body  of  men  would  prac- 
tically all  become  owners  of  property  and  well  started  on  the 
road  to  independence,  for  I  must  tell  you  that  the  great 
majority  of  workingmen  here  have  no  property  whatever,  nor 
any  hope  of  having  it.  The  fact  that  they  are  stockholders 
renders  a  strike  impossible,  in  fact  the  very  idea  of  it  cannot 
be  entertained,  for  how  can  men  strike  against  themselves  ? 

In  starting  such  a  scheme,  it  is  not  at  all  necessary  that  all 
the  men  should  accept  it,  or  even  a  majority  of  them.  A 
minority  accepting  will  soon  grow  into  a  majority  by  example. 
I  am  sorry,  however,  to  say  that  although  so  good  an  object 
lesson  has  been  given  to  English  gas  companies,  they  have  not 
profited  by  it.  The  South  Metropolitan  started  in  1889,  the 
Crystal  Palace  District  followed  in  1894,  the  Commercial  of 
London  in  1901,  and  Chester  and  Newport  ( Isle  of  Wight ) 
.about  the  same  time. 

I  suppose  one  'reason  preventing  the  adoption  of  the  system 
is  the  fear  of  the  cost.  To  this  I  answer  that  the  whole  of  the 
annual  bonus  is  earned  by  the  cheerful,  willing  work  of  the  men; 
this  has  been  proved  by  comparison  with  the  cost  per  ton  of  coal 
for  carbonizing — the  same  rate  of  wages  being  paid — of  the 
South  Metropolitan  and  the  Crystal  Palace  District  Gas  Com- 
panies with  other  London  companies,  not  practising  Profit- 
sharing  or  co-partnership.  Then  another  and  stronger  reason 
is,  I  think,  the  fact  that  Directors  of  gas  companies  do  not 
realize  their  responsibilities  as  employers,  who  should  do  all  in 
their  power  to  uplift  their  men.  They  should  take  their  right- 
ful positions  as  leaders  of  their  workmen,  and  to  do  this,  the 
first  step  is  to  gain  their  confidence.  This  was  effected  by  the 
five  companies  named,  by  the  simple  offer  of  Profit-sharing — 


70 

it  was  offered  in  a  way  to  convince  the  men  that  their  good 
was  desired,  quite  as  much  as  that  of  the  Company.  Then 
they  are  treated  with  confidence;  everything  is  fully  explained 
to  them,  thus  preventing  all  suspicion. 

I  think  I  have  said  enough  at  least  to  tire  you,  but  you 
must  excuse  my  earnestness  in  this  matter. 

I    have   the  honour  to  be    an    Honorary    Member  of   the 
American  Gas  Height  Association,  therefore  any  assistance  I 
can  render  is  not  only  a  pleasure,  but  a  pleasant  duty. 
Yours  sincerely, 

(Signed)     GEORGE  L1VESEY. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (  Mr.  Norjis)  :  You  have  just  heard  a 
most  interesting  and  suggestive  paper  on  a  very  live  subject, 
and  I  think  we  are  particularly  fortunate  in  being  able  to  have 
included  in  the  discussion  of  this  paper  this  contribution  by 
one  of  our  members  who  lives  on  the  other  side  of  the  water. 
The  subject  is  now  open  to  discussion,  and  I  hope,  as  Mr. 
Shelton  requested  in  his  paper,  that  those  who  have  actually 
tried  various  methods  connected  with  this  line  of  work  will 
give  us  the  result  of  their  experiences.  A  realization  of  the 
broad  human  relations  that  should  exist  among  all  of  us,  from 
the  humblest  to  the  highest  worker,  should  be  recognized  ; 
and  I  believe  that  such  recognition  will  take  more  and  more 
the  direction  of  some  such  co-operation  as  is  suggested  by  Mr* 
Shelton.  We  will  be  glad  to  have  the  paper  thoroughly  dis- 
cussed by  any  gentleman  who  has  ideas  to  give  us  bearing 
upon  the  subject. 

MR.  PAUL  DOTY  (St.  Paul,  Minn.):  It  was  my  good 
fortune  when  manager  of  the  Grand  Rapids  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany, to  be  partly  instrumental  in  obtaining  for  the  employees 
of  that  Company  the  adoption  by  the  Directors  of  the  Grand 
Rapids  Gas  Light  Company  of  the  Profit-sharing  plan,  men- 
tioned as  the  third  of  the  plans  for  the  improvement  of  the 
workman's  condition.  The  credit  for  the  inception  of  the 
plan  and  idea  belongs  to  the  then  President,  Emerson  McMil- 
lin.  Mr.  McMillin  has  long  been  more  than  a  student  of 
industrial  questions.  He  had  previously  put  in  practice  a 


71 

plan  at  the  Columbus  (Ohio)  Gas  Works,  whereby  the  em- 
ployees were  paid  dividends  in  scrip  certificates,  redeemable 
and  convertible  into  that  Company's  shares.  He  found  by 
experience  the  scrip  was  not  always  exchanged  for  stock,  but 
fell  by  the  wayside  ;  and  the  expected  gain  in  interest  of  the 
workmen  by  the  hoped-for  possible  ownership  of  stock,  was 
not  forthcoming.  Later,  Mr.  McMillin  inaugurated  the  plan 
of  direct  Profit-sharing  by  the  distribution  of  cash  dividends 
to  the  employees  of  the  Columbus  Street  Railway  Company, 
during  his  administration  of  the  interests  of  that  Company. 
Then  later  the  cash  dividend  plan  was  introduced  in  the  gas 
companies  at  Grand  Rapids,  Milwaukee  and  other  cities  in 
which  Mr.  McMillin  is  interested.  Let  me  state  this  is  a  true 
Profit-sharing  plan.  The  employee  receives  dividends  in  cash 
without  investing  his  money,  and  does  not  lose  the  interest 
which  his  money,  if  saved,  would  earn  in  a  savings  bank,  and 
which  if  invested  in  the  gas  company  would  run  the  risk  of 
good  and  bad  years.  While  it  is  true  the  dividend  to  the 
workmen  is  voluntary  on  the  part  of  the  Company,  yet  it  must 
be  earned  if  paid  to  the  workmen,  and  the  dividend  is  the  cash 
appreciation  by  the  Company  of  the  special  efforts  of  the  good 
workman,  and  becomes  the  incentive  for  continuous  and  faith- 
ful service,  and  is  likely  to  continue  to  be  paid  so  long  as 
dividends  are  paid  to  the  stockholders. 

The  cash  dividend  plan  has  its  limitations,  and  one  cf  the 
most  important  limitations  is  the  fact  that  the  amount  of  the 
dividend  is  fixed  by  the  wages  of  the  employee.  The 
employee  should  be  worth  more  to  the  Company  than  the 
wages  paid.  He  is  worth  more  generally  by  the  profit  the 
Company  may  make  on  his  services.  It  is  a  well-known  fact 
that  the  gas  companies'  profit  per  unit  of  sales  must  be  larger 
than  many  mercantile  businesses,  when  the  capital  is  turned 
over  several  times  a  year ;  for  a  gas  company's  capital  is 
turned  over  only  once  in  several  years. 

From  the  fact  that  the  gas  companies'  workmen  generally 
are  limited  in  their  wages  return  by  relatively  small  profits,  I 
suggest  that  it  would  be  possible  to  double  the  cash  dividend 
and  pay  the  same  rate  semi-annually  on  employees'  wages  that 
is  paid  annually  by  stockholders'  shares. 


72 

I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  introducing  many  of  the  items 
mentioned  in  classes  I  and  II  in  various  cities  in  which  I  have 
been  manager  for  gas  companies.  These  I  would  class  as 
prosperity-sharing  in  contradistinction  to  Profit-sharing. 
Prosperity-sharing  is  a  good  thing,  but  it  is  far  short  of  Profit- 
sharing  in  securing  and  maintaining  the  interest  of  the  work- 
man. Prosperity-sharing  savors  too  much  of  paternalism, 
and,  while  it  is  successful  with  the  German  and  French  work- 
man, it  is 'distasteful  to  the  American  workman.  The  Ameri- 
can wants  to  feel  the  jingle  of  the  coin  in  his  pockets,  and 
prefers  to  make  his  own  provision  for  his  own  comforts. 
Washrooms,  lockers,  etc.,  are  a  necessity  in  all  well  regulated 
gas  works,  and  should  be  furnished  by  the  Company  as  a 
necessity.  Common  decency  would  require  this.  Mess  rooms 
or  dining  rooms  are  to  be  commended. 

I  am  not  in  favor  of  the  Company  reducing  the  cost  of  liv- 
ing to  its  employees  by  giving  gas,  coal,  coke,  etc.,  free  or  at 
cost.  If  necessary  to  accomplish  the  same  result,  increase  the 
wages  correspondingly.  (<  Free  gas  "  has  a  false  ring.  Some- 
thing for  nothing  inculcates  false  standards  ;  and  besides, 
there  may  be  good  legal  objections  to  the  practice  of  supplying 
free  gas  to  employees  or  others.  The  Interstate  Commerce 
Commission  has  ruled  against  passes  or  free  transportation  as 
against  public  policy.  It  is  questionable,  too,  whether  free 
gas  will  serve  the  best  interests  of  the  Company  in  its  relation 
with  its  workmen. 

An  extra  day's  pay  at  Christmas  is  to  be  commended.  It 
is  really  only  a  donation  and  probably  intended  only  as  an  ex- 
pression of  the  Christian  sentiment — Peace  and  Good  Will  to 
Men. 

The  other  special  features  in  Class  I,  I  have  practiced,  except 
the  non-docking  for  absence  from  illness.  This  is  a  practice 
possible  in  small  companies  wrhere  every  employee  is  person- 
ally known  to  the  management ;  but  in  larger  companies  the 
practice,  if  followed,  is  apt  to  lead  to  the  abuse  of  the  privilege 
and  in  justice  to  the  employees  who  are  not  absent  cannot 
readily  be  allowed. 

Class  II  :  Mutual  benefit  associations  are  to  be  commended, 
especially  if  the  association  will  take  up  and  follow  through 


73 

the  educational  features.  It  is  essential  for  the  welfare  of  the 
Company  that  the  employees  be  thoroughly  trained.  I  greatly 
enjoyed  meeting  with  the  employees  at  these  educational 
sessions,  and  I  believe  the  work  was  profitably  conducted.  I 
have  heard  of  the  "soulless  corporation,"  but  when  I  hear 
this  remark  I  am  always  reminded  of  the  statement  of  Samuel 
T.  Bodine,  General  Manager  of  the  United  Gas  Improvement 
Co. ,  on  the  occasion  of  the  announcement  of  the  resignation 
of  Mr.  Alexander  C.  Humphreys  as  General  Superintendent 
of  that  Company.  Mr.  Bodine  said  in  substance,  "  The  soul 
of  the  corporation  is  the  composite  soul  of  the  men  who  rep- 
resent it."  With  this  thought  in  mind,  it  will  be  seen  how 
important  it  is  for  the  individual  representatives  of  the  Com- 
pany to  faithfully  care  for  its  interests,  and  it  is  doubtful  if 
the  Directors  or  Managers  of  a  corporation  will  do  collectively 
anything  for  which  individually  they  would  receive  censure. 
Let  me  also  tell  you  what  Carroll  D.  Wright,  United  States 
Commissioner  of  Labor,  has  said  :  "I  know  of  no  trust  more 
sacred  than  that  given  into  the  hands  of  the  Captains  of  Indus- 
try, for  they  deal  with  human  beings  in  close  and  vital  rela- 
tions— not  through  the  medium  of  speech  and  exhortation, 
but  of  positive  association,  and  by  this  they  can  make  or  mar." 
With  the  third  step,  dividing  profits,  I  am  in  hearty  accord. 
My  experience  is  that  the  workman  does  appreciate  his  cash 
dividend.  He  does  have  to  earn  it,  for  the  payment  is  made 
in  appreciation  of  faithful  and  continuous  service.  In  my  ad- 
dress as  President  of  the  Michigan  Gas  Association  in  1902, 
I  reported  on  the  subject  rather  fully  and  incorporated  in  that 
address  the  resolutions  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Grand 
Rapids  Gas  Light  Company,  with  the  hope  that  they  would  be 
of  service  to  other  companies,  in  the  event  they  wished  to 
adopt  a  similar  plan.  The  cash  dividend  was  of  substantial 
benefit  to  the  employee.  It  was  large  enough  to  be  of  some 
moment  to  him.  Being  in  cash,  he  could  use  the  money  to 
pay  for  an  installment  on  the  purchase  of  his  home,  or  his  dues 
in  a  building  and  loan. association,  or  buy  his  winter's  coal  or 
coke,  or  buy  a  new  suit  of  clothes  for  himself,  or  a  new  dress 
for  his  wife,  or  some  comfort  the  ready  cash  would  provide. 
I  know  of  no  instance  where  the  money  was  spent  unworthily, 


74 

and  I  do  know  of  several  instances  where  it  was  used  to  good 
advantage. 

In  Grand  Rapids  Sunday  labor  was  also  abolished  at  the  gas 
works,  as  it  had  been  in  other  departments,  and  a  system  of 
old-age  pensions  was  introduced.  The  Grand  Rapids  Gas 
Light  Company  deserved  and  received  the  sole  support  of  its 
employees,  and  had  the  very  general  support  of  the  public  of 
Grand  Rapids  ;  and  the  newspapers,  on  more  than  one  oc- 
casion, referred  to  it  as  "  the  model  corporation  of  the  city," 
and  its  example  in  Profit-sharing  was  an  inspiration  to  other 
institutions  which  adopted  the  plan,  notably  the  Kent  County 
Savings  Bank. 

The  Fourth  Step  :  Full  partnership  is  to  be  commended, 
and  the  plan  adopted  by  Sir  George  Livesey  at  the  South 
Metropolitan  Gas  Company  of  London  is  unique,  for  it  has  on 
its  Board  of  Directors  two  workmen,  shareholders,  elected  by 
their  fellows.  Sir  George  Livesey  is  quoted  as  saying, 
"  Profit-sharing  has  proved  most  satisfactory.  The  men 
generally  do  their  work  cheerfully,  and  in  a  happy,  contented 
spirit,  which  alone  is  worth  in  improved  working,  all  that  the 
Profit-sharing  costs  the  Company.  Individually,  many  of  the 
workmen  show  a  decided  interest  in  the  Company  by  suggest- 
ing various  economies  and  improvements,  and  the  number  who 
take  this  interest  is  growing.  The  coal  men  who  fire  the 
coal  are  more  careful  with  their  tools.  In  the  retort  houses, 
if  they  see  the  coal  spilt  they  say,  '  That  will  not  do  ;  that  will 
go  against  our  Profit-sharing  !  '  Unquestionably  the  system 
has  promoted  harmony  and  good  feeling  between  employees 
and  employer.  There  have  been  no  strikes  since  1889,  and 
whenever  the  word  is  named  the  men  say,  '  We  shall  never 
have  another.' 

Mr.  Livesey  is  further  quoted  as  saying  that  co-partnership 
is  "  the  direction  which  promises  the  most  satisfactory  results. 
I  believe  that  what  is  wanted  to  secure  industrial  peace  is 
partnership — the  more  complete,  the  better ;  partnership  in 
profits,  in  capital,  in  responsibility.  It  will  take  time  and 
patience  and  earnest  work  to  bring  it  about,  but  the  result 
will  be  worth  all  that  it  costs. ' ' 

Certainly  the  experience  of  this  great  English  gas  engineer 


75 

and  manager  will  have  weight  and  receive  due  consideration 
at  this  American  Gas  Congress,  and  we  have  in  this  country 
concrete  examples  of  the  success  of  the  plan  of  Profit-sharing. 
It  should  be  unnecessary  to  argue  further  the  merits  of  profit 
and  prosperity-sharing.  The  interest  of  our  companies  and 
the  welfare  of  our  employees  make  it  necessary  to  secure 
industrial  peace,  which  is  the  normal  condition  of  economic 
production — when  all  factors  work  harmoniously  together. 

The  labor  question  really  is  one  of  industrial  peace,  and  how 
this  peace  can  be  secured  is  well  worthy  of  special  study. 
Modern  industrial  conditions  have  resolved  themselves  largely 
into  combinations  of  employees  and  combinations  of  employers  ; 
the  trade  union  standing  for  the  interests  of  the  workingman, 
and  the  employers'  association  standing  for  the  interests  of  the 
employer.  These  two  organizations,  when  well  developed, 
conduct  with  each  other  that  ' '  collective  bargaining ' '  which 
is,  perhaps,  the  most  striking  phenomenon  of  modern  produc- 
tion on  a  large  scale.  Those  who  have  had  to  deal  with 
organized  labor  will  know  what  is  meant  by  "  collective  bar- 
gaining." At  St.  Paul  I  have  just  signed  the  new  scale 
of  wages,  etc.,  with  the  Electrical  Workers'  Union,  which, 
it  is  hoped,  will  secure  industrial  peace  for  another  year. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  define  ' '  trade  unions, ' '  their  pur- 
poses or  their  objects.  We  are  all  too  familiar  with  their  ex- 
istence. A  trade  union  is  primarily  not  a  peaceful,  but  a 
militant  body — a  more  or  less  combative  association  of  work- 
men organized  for  mutual  assistance  in  contests,  offensive  and 
defensive,  with  the  employer.  The  right  of  the  workman  to 
combine  with  his  fellows  in  trade  unions  has  become  an  axiom 
in  economic  science.  In  this  democratic  country,  public 
opinion  is  almost  everywhere  favorable  to  labor  organizations, 
and  the  number  of  employers  who  dispute  in  any  way  the 
right  of  combination  is  steadily  decreasing. 

Combination  of  employers  is  easy  of  understanding.  "An 
agreement  between  gentlemen  "  is  a  favorite  expression.  The 
need  of  united  action  to  treat  with  organized  labor  needs  no 
emphasis.  The  purpose  of  such  combination,  it  must  not  be 
forgotten,  should  be  not  to  make  war  on  the  trade  unions 
with  the  vain  hope  of  exterminating  them,  locally  or  nation- 


76 

all)r,  but  to  deal  on  equal  terms  with  them  under  the  methods 
of  collective  bargaining  and  conciliation  accepted  and 
approved  in  the  trade. 

Collective  bargaining,  the  sliding  scale,  conciliation  in 
labor  disputes,  are  all  important  labor  questions  of  the  day. 
The  Industrial  Department  of  the  Civic  Federation  of  the 
United  States  is  an  example  of  the  present  day  methods.  The 
Conciliation  Committee  includes  many  distinguished  citizens, 
who  give  freely  of  their  time  and  energy  in  the  effort  to  secure 
industrial  peace.  Mr.  Emerson  McMillin  is  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Conciliation  Committee  of  the  Civic  Federation. 

A  further  study  of  the  labor  question  would  need  reference 
to  the  trade  boards  of  conciliation  and  arbitration  in  the 
United  States,  the  legal  regulation  of  labor  disputes  in 
monopolistic  industries,  together  with  some  reference  to  the 
legal  regulation  of  labor  disputes  in  New  Zealand.  The  bul- 
letins of  the  United  States  Department  of  Labor,  under  the 
direction  of  Carroll  D.  Wright,  Commissioner,  contain  a 
wealth  of  information  regarding  the  labor  question.  Much  of 
it,  of  course,  is  not  of  special  moment  to  the  gas  industry, 
but  it  is  of  great  interest  to  the  student  of  the  labor  question. 

Times  are  changing  and  we  are  slowly  but  surely  evolving 
from  the  days  of  individual  bargaining  with  employees.  It  is 
necessary,  therefore,  that  we,  as  far-sighted  managers,  should 
read  the  handwriting  on  the  wall,  and  be  prepared  by  educa- 
tion and  training  to  do  our  full  share  towards  the  wise  develop- 
ment of  present  day  economic  conditions,  having  in  mind  to 
secure  industrial  peace  and  so  permit  the  fullest  development 
of  the  interests  entrusted  to  our  care.  As  ' '  Captains  of 
Industry ' '  we  will  command  success,  and  then 

"  Brightest  is  their  glory's  sheen, 
For  greatest  hath  their  labor  been." 

MR.  C.  H.  NETTLETON  (Derby,  Conn.)  :  I  have  been 
asked  to  take  part  in  the  discussion  of  Mr.  Shelton's  paper 
and  I  do  this  with  pleasure,  as  the  subject  is  one  that  interests 
me  deeply,  and  to  which  I  have  given  a  good  deal  of  thought 
and  study. 

First,  I  want  to  congratulate  Mr.  Shelton  on  the  admirable 
way  that  he  has  presented  the  subject,  touching  on  its  general 


77 

outlines  but  doing  this  in  a  way  that  makes  it  stand  out  clearly 
and  distinctly.  I  shall  confine  my  remarks  to  Profit-sharing 
for  the  reason  that  at  Derby,  Conn.,  we  have,  to  use  Mr. 
Shelton's  exact  language,  a  '  'stockholding  partnership,  Profit- 
sharing  plan,"  and  with  your  permission  I  propose  to  give  a 
brief  account  of  it  and  its  operation. 

The  speaker  has  had  charge  of  the  Derby  Gas  Company 
since  its  organization  in  1871,  and  most  of  the  employees  have 
worked  continuously  for  many  years — one  over  thirty  years, 
several  over  twenty  years  and  a  majority  over  ten  years — and 
the  relations  are  cordial  and  friendly  on  both  sides,  and  it  was 
certainly  a  desire  to  improve  the  condition  of  these  old  and 
tried  servants,  to  bring  something  besides  the  drudgery  of 
their  labor  into  their  lives,  that  was  one  of  the  causes  for  the 
adoption  of  the  Profit-sharing  plan.  Incidentally,  I  did  hope 
to  so  tie  them  to  the  Company,  or  rather  to  make  them  a  part 
of  it,  that  the  walking  delegate  with  whom  I  had  had  a  some- 
what unpleasant  experience  at  another  works,  would  have 
little  or  no  influence.  The  starting  point  with  me  was  a  con- 
versation which  I  had  with  Sir  George  L,ivesey,  then  Mr.  I^ive- 
sey,  in  1897,  ni  which  he  gave  an  account  of  the  strike  at  the 
South  Metropolitan  Works  in  1890,  when  the  city  of  London 
furnished  him  with  1000  policemen  to  protect  the  property  of 
the  Company.  He  won  out,  but  immediately  put  the  Profit- 
sharing  scheme  in  force,  by  which  the  employees  were  to 
become  stockholders — and  Mr.  Shelton  has  told  you  that 
eighty  per  cent,  of  his  employees  are  to-day  stockholders,  and 
altogether  they  own  nearly  $1,000,000  of  the  stock,  and  I 
believe  no  rumor  even  of  a  strike  has  ever  been  heard  since. 

That  conversation  made  such  a  strong  impression,  and  the 
logic  of  the  facts  was  so  clear,  that  finally,  with  the  unani- 
mous consent  of  the  Directors  of  the  Derby  Gas  Company,  a 
plan  modeled  after  Sir  George  Livesey's  was  put  in  force  on 
October  i,  1902.  The  plan  substantially  is  as  follows  : 

1.  The  same  rate  of  dividend  as  that  received  by  the  stock- 
holders  is   credited  quarterly  to  each  employee  on  his  wages 
for  the  previous  three  months.     Rate  of  dividend  six  per  cent. 

2.  When  this  credit  amounts  to  the  value  of   a   share  of 
stock,  a  share   is   transferred  to  the  employee,  and   it  then 


78 

becomes  his  property  to  keep  or  sell.  (  So  far  only  one  share 
has  been  sold.)  Par  value  of  shares  $25.00;  market  value 
about  $37.50. 

3.  If  a  man  for  any  cause  must  draw  his  credit  in  cash, 
or  voluntarily  leaves  the  Company's  employ,  he  can  have  only 
one-half   of   the  amount  credited  to  him,  but  if   he  be  dis- 
charged, the  full  amount  is  paid. 

4.  This  plan  applies  to  all  regular  employees  of  the  Com- 
pany who  have  been   in  its  employ  two  years  or  longer.      It 
also  includes  all  of  the  officers,  but  does  not  apply  to  men  who 
have  been  taken  on  temporarily  to  lay  mains. 

5.  It  was   to   continue  two  years  in  any  event,   and  the 
statement  was  made  that  it  was  hoped  that  the  results  would 
warrant  the  Directors  in  continuing  the  plan  indefinitely. 

6.  As  there  was  a  possibility  that  the  stock  might  depre- 
ciate in  value,  I  agreed  personally  to  buy  back  the  stock  at  the 
price  at  which  it  had  been  transferred,  any  time  in  two  years 
from  the  date  of   issue.       This  promise  not  to  be  binding  in 
case  of  my  death. 

As  the  size  of  the  plant  will  be  of  interest  in  connection  with 
the  annual  cost,  the  following  is  given  :  Gas  sent  out, 
99,000,000  feet — and  the  Company  owns  an  electric  light 
plant  of  about  1200  h.  p.  capacity. 

The  amount  of  the  bonus  is  about  $2000,  and  that  at  the  pres- 
ent price  of  the  stock  means  that  the  employees  become  the 
holders  of  about  $1300  each  year,  but  as  part  of  that  amount 
goes  into  the  hands  of  the  officers  who  are  already  stock- 
holders, probably  about  $900  par  value  of  the  stock  reaches 
each  year  employees  who  would  not  otherwise  become  stock- 
holders. 

As  to  its  effect  :  At  first  I  could  not  see  any,  and  naturally 
was  disappointed.  It  took  nearly  a  year  before  the  bonus  had 
accumulated  sufficiently  to  transfer  one  share  to  many  of  the 
men,  and  even  that  produced  little  effect ;  but  with  the  arrival 
of  the  first  quarterly  dividends  on  the  stock  (  3yc.  on  one 
share)  the  interest  became  manifest,  and  the  employees 
generally  woke  up  to  the  meaning  and  working  of  the  plan, 
and  since  that  time  there  has  been  a  very  lively  interest. 
Recently  the  stock  of  the  Company  has  been  increased,  and 


79 

the  men  all  took  their  "rights,"  and  bought  enough  in  all 
cases,  I  believe,  to  make  full  shares.  A  few  put  some  of 
their  savings  into  the  stock.  Of  course,  it  will  be  said  that 
this  cannot  go  on  indefinitely  without  the  men  owning  the 
plant,  which  is  true.  But  practically,  I  believe  it  will  work 
out  that  when  $20,000  or  $30,000  of  stock  is  held  by  the  em- 
ployees, enough  will  be  sold  from  one  cause  and  another  each 
year,  to  supply  the  demand.  At  the  present  rate,  it  will  take 
115  years  for  the  employees  to  accumulate  one-half  the  stock, 
provided  none  were  sold. 

Does  it  pay  ?  It  costs  $2000  per  year  and  without  any 
direct  returns,  does  it  pay  ?  That  is  a  difficult  question  to 
answer,  and  it  is  hardly  fair  to  judge  of  an  experiment  after 
trying  it  only  one  year  and  eight  months  ;  so  far,  everything 
indicates  that  it  does. 

As  time  goes  on  and  the  holdings  of  the  men  increase,  it 
would  seem  as  if  the  feeling  of  direct  personal  interest 
must  also  increase.  It  is  true  that  more  applications  are  being 
made  for  positions  and  work  with  the  Gas  Company  than  ever 
before,  and,  in  most  cases,  by  a  better  class  of  men.  I  do  not 
look  for  immediate  results,  but  it  has  seemed  to  me  that  the 
best  results  would  probably  come  after  five  or  six  years.  Put 
yourselves  in  the  place  of  a  retort-house  stoker,  for  instance, 
working  twelve  hours  a  day  for  six  and  one-half  or  seven  days 
each  week,  part  of  the  time  days  and  part  nights.  A  plan  is 
offered  by  which  you  are  to  receive  twelve  or  fifteen  cents 
extra  per  day,  which  is  positively  to  be  saved  for  you,  and  with 
the  saving  you  are  to  receive  at  least  one  share  per  year  of  the 
stock  of  the  Company  you  work  for.  I  may  be  wrong,  but  it 
seems  to  me  that  I  should  look  at  my  work  with  different  eyes, 
from  the  day  when  I  received  the  first  certificate  of  stock,  and 
as  these  increased  in  number,  I  think  I  should  naturally  drop 
into  the  frame  of  mind  of  considering  myself  a  part  of  the  Com- 
pany. My  work  would  be  more  interesting  by  reason  of  this, 
and  it  would  be  strange  if  I  did  not  do  it  better.  If  the  feeling 
of  personal  interest  can  be  aroused  by  this  method,  then  there 
is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  but  that  as  an  investment  it  will  take 
care  of  itself,  aside  from  the  return  that  comes  from  having 
added  to  the  happiness  of  the  lives  of  your  employees.  Permit 


80 

me  to  say  that  I  only  desire  to  apply  my  statements  to  com- 
paratively small  works,  where  the  personal  element  of  the 
manager,  and  the  personal  contact  between  the  men  and  the 
officers  count  for  so  much,  particularly  if  the  latter  belong  to 
that  large  class  who  are  always  trying,  from  good  motives,  to 
help  those  who  are  under  them.  In  my  three  years'  experi- 
ence in  a  much  larger  works,  I  have  been  impressed  with  the 
diminishing  factor  of  the  personal  element,  and  I  presume  that 
goes  on  lessening  as  the  works  increase  in  size.  It  would 
seem,  however,  that 'in  the  case  of  the  South  Metropolitan 
Company,  the  size  of  the  works,  with  its  5000  employees,  has 
not  prevented  a  successful  outcome  ;  but,  from  my  own  knowl- 
edge and  experience,  I  should  say  that  a  Profit-sharing  plan 
would  be  more  likely  to  give  better  results  in  a  small  rather 
than  a  large  works. 

We  are  facing  a  condition  in  the  labor  market  that  was 
unknown  to  our  fathers  ;  the  men  have  talked  so  long  about 
their  rights,  and  the  dignity  of  labor,  that  I  doubt  if  we 
ever  go  back  to  the  conditions  of  twenty-five  years  ago.  If 
that  be  so,  then  we  must,  if  we  are  to  go  along  safely 
and  with  that  harmonious  feeling  that  is  so  much  to  be 
desired,  certainly  by  the  employer,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases 
by  the  employed,  meet  the  new  conditions  with  something ; 
that  Profit-sharing  is  a  panacea  for  all  the  ills  I  doubt,  but 
that  it  will  cure  many  of  the  troubles,  and  especially  in  the 
smaller  companies,  I  fully  believe. 

MR.  J.  M.  BERKLEY  (  Bloomington,  111.)  :  I  think  of  all 
the  papers  that  come  before  our  Associations  for  discussion  r 
the  evidences  of  which  we  are  able  to  obtain  from  our  text 
books  and  the  knowledge  of  those  we  meet  with,  there  is  not 
another  question  that  comes  as  vitally  to  our  attention  as  does 
this  question  opened  by  Mr.  Shelton.  It  is  the  very  heart 
throb  of  our  institution  to-day — it  is  the  very  question  which  we 
are  thinking  the  least  of,  and  to  whose  solution  we  are  making 
the  least  effort.  Take  85  per  cent,  of  the  gas  works  in  this  coun- 
try carbonizing  from  60  tons  of  coal  down,  and  you  will  find 
them  devoid  of  any  means  of  modern  improvements  toward 
cleanliness  and  the  comfort  of  the  men.  It  is  a  shame.  It  is 
a  reproach  upon  the  companies  that  they  do  not  provide  some 


81 

means  of  personal  comfort  for  the  men,  which  can  be  done  at 
so  little  cost,  and  which  will  have  such  an  enormous  effect 
toward  alleviating  the  adverse  conditions  that  arise  in  labor 
troubles.  Heartily  agreeing  with  all  that  can  be  said  on  the 
Profit-sharing  plan,  I  know  from  practical  experience  that  to 
get  hold  of  the  heart  of  a  man  in  small  as  well  as  large  works 
is  the  essence  of  the  success  of  the  institution  and  the  peaceful 
reign  of  its  administrative  officers.  We  recently  had  a  strike 
in  our  works,  brought  about  by  an  old  sore  ;  the  sore  had 
been  there  for  years,  and  was  a  constant  source  of  irritation 
and  trouble.  We  brought  in  a  different  class  of  men  and  we 
gave  these  men  to  understand  at  the  start  that  their  interest 
was  our  interest,  and  our  interest  should  be  their  interest ; 
and  we  started  about  to  inaugurate  some  means  of  personal 
comfort.  We  have  thus  been  able  to  get  the  hearts  of  these 
men.  When  I  say  we  have  gained  the  hearts  of  our  stokers, 
I  mean  it,  gentlemen,  for  a  stoker  has  a  heart,  and  when  you 
get  it  you  have  the  man.  We  are  now  able  to  get  along  satis- 
factorily with  our  men  without  a  union. 

I  do  not  think  that  too  much  can  be  said  on  the  question  of 
personal  comfort.  Mr.  Shelton  touched  on  that  subject  quite 
thoroughly.  We  find  that  by  giving  heed  to  the  personal 
comfort  of  the  men,  we  can  reach  the  lowest  class  of  labor  that 
we  employ,  the  dirtiest  men  who  work  for  the  Company,  who 
work  the  hardest  and  stand  the  hardest  blows — the  stokers. 
We  believe  that  these  men  can  be  reached,  like  any  other  class 
of  men,  if  we  treat  them  according  to  the  Golden  Rule. 

MR.  F.  W.  STONE,  the  President  of  the  Ohio  Gas  Light 
Association,  here  took  the  Chair. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (  Mr.  Stone)  :  We  would  like  to  hear  fur- 
ther discussion,  and  we  would  like  the  members  to  speak  as 
promptly  as  possible,  so  as  not  to  delay  the  meeting. 

MR.  R.  M.  SEARLE  (Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y.)  :  I  have  gone 
into  this  question  in  considerable  detail,  and  have  gone  among 
the  men  at  the  various  works.  I  have  had  conferences  on  the 
floor  among  the  men,  and  asked  them  to  suggest  such  means 
of  comfort  as  we  could  provide  them  with.  In  this  way  we 
have  heard  of  several  things  that  have  caused  dissatisfaction 


82 

with  .the  work,  that  have  been  unnecessarily  fatiguing  to  the 
men  and  caused  them  to  demand  more  wages  because  the  work 
was  hard.  One  man  said,  "  I  do  not  mind  the  work,  but 
cannot  stand  the  cracked  feet."  An  investigation  showed  the 
man  was  working  on  a  hot  generator  floor,  running  a  machine 
uninterruptedly,  and  with  improper  ventilation.  A  change  in  - 
the  design  of  the  ventilation  of  the  house,  and  a  planking  of 
the  iron  floor,  absolutely  cured  the  complaint.  We  have  that 
man's  heart,  without  a  doubt.  Another  instance  was,  we 
found  in  a  retort-house  that  thirty-two  men  were  overcome 
with  the  heat  in  a  single  day.  I  remained  in  the  retort-house 
and  studied  the  conditions,  and  made  a  chart  showing  the 
hours  at  which  the  men  were  overcome.  At  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
the  men  began  to  fail  very  rapidly.  The  number  of  foot 
pounds  of  work  which  they  had  done  did  not  represent  any 
fatigue,  compared  with  other  forms  of  labor.  The  trouble  in 
these  cases  was  that  of  slow  asphyxiation  by  gas-house  gases, 
quenched  coke,  cooling  of  fires  and  gases  from  the  retorts 
during  drawing  and  charging  ;  their  symptoms  were  the  same 
symptoms  as  described  by  a  man  who  had  passed  through 
nearly  all  the  stages  of  asphyxiation.  The  plan  of  ventilation 
was  changed  through  a  scheme  that  changed  the  air  in  the 
retort-house  perhaps  every  twenty  seconds,  with  the  result 
that  we  completely  won  the  hearts  of  the  lowest  type  of  labor 
in  this  country.  I  refer  to  negroes.  We  kept  the  men  con- 
stantly at  work,  twelve  hours  a  day,  every  day  in  the  month, 
instead,  as  before,  of  being  compelled  to  change  as  many  as 
thirty  men  a  day.  These  are  simple  details  of  how  troubles 
can  be  overcome,  the  men  made  contented  and  satisfied,  and 
strikes  avoided,  which  latter  are  oftentimes  resorted  to  with  the 
idea  of  alleviating  impossible  conditions  surrounding  the  work 
in  the  gas  houses. 

MR.  PAUL  THOMPSON  (Philadelphia,  Pa.):  In  Phila- 
delphia, we  have  had  no  experience  with  Profit  -  sharing 
schemes  or  systems,  but  we  have  gone  very  largely  into  the 
idea  of  furnishing  amusements  and  places  of  recreation  for  the 
men  as  a  means  of  relaxation.  We  were  confronted  with  a 
rather  difficult  situation  from  the  fact  that  the  two  works,  both 


83 

quite  large,  are  situated  four  miles  apart,  one  having  ample 
space  for  athletic  grounds,  and  the  other  having  very  meagre 
space.  The  number  of  men  employed  at  each  of  the  works 
was  about  the  same.  We,  of  course,  at  our  works,  furnish 
ample  wash  rooms,  shower  baths,  plenty  of  fresh  water, 
lockers,  towels,  plenty  of  ice  in  the  hot  weather,  etc.,  but 
there  seemed  to  be  a  desire  on  the  part  of  the  men  to  have 
something  to  do  during  the  lunch  time,  and^a  little  in  advance 
of  their  shifts.  In  view  of  this  desire,  the  Company  donated 
a  plot  of  ground,  and  furnished  the  money  for  laying  out  an 
athletic  field,  with  a  baseball  ground  and  a  club  house.  The 
club  house  is  provided  with  lockers,  shower  baths  and  toilet 
facilities.  The  government  of  the  club  house  and  the  athletic 
grounds  is  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  men  ;  the  dues  being 
$2.50  per  year,  which  entitles  members  to  all  the  privileges 
and  benefits  of  the  grounds  and  club  house,  in  addition  to  the 
privilege  of  bringing  their  wives  and  children  to  the  different 
games  that  were  played  on  the  grounds.  The  Board  of  Govern- 
ors is  composed  of  nine  Directors,  of  whom  six  are  elected  annu- 
ally by  the  members  of  the  Association,  and  three  appointed  by 
an  officer  of  the  Company,  having  complete  control  of  the  affairs 
of  the  Association.  The  first  year  we  started  with  a  member- 
ship of  about  three  hundred  ;  we  had  a  small  baseball  team, 
which  was  not  very  successful,  but  we  kept  at  it,  and  now 
have  inter- station  games,  and  games  with  outside  teams.  The 
system  has  been  in  operation  four  years  and  the  membership 
is  now  six  hundred,  and  there  are  now  three  baseball  teams 
which  represent  the  Association  in  playing  outside  clubs ; 
and  I  think  I  am  safe  in  saying  that  the  first  team  ranks  with 
the  best  teams  of  the  city.  They  have  frequently  an  attendance 
at  their  games  on  Saturday  afternoons  of  one  thousand  or  fifteen 
hundred  spectators.  The  admission  fee  is  ten  cents  for  out- 
siders, all  members  of  the  Association  and  their  wives  and 
daughters  being  admitted  free.  On  the  Fourth  of  July  they 
have  a  band,  with  flag-raising  and  athletic  sports.  The  man- 
agement of  the  baseball  games  is  in  the  hands  of  the  commit- 
tee, and  they  provide  for  a  game  on  the  grounds  every  Satur- 
day afternoon,  and  the  two  other  teams  play  away  from  the 
grounds  every  Saturday  afternoon.  One  day  in  each  month  is 


84 

reserved  for  the  use  of  the  members,  and  they  also  have  games 
between  the  stations.  The  station  located  away  from  where 
the  grounds  are,  did  not  receive  as  much  benefit  from  the 
grounds  as  the  station  adjacent  to  the  grounds,  and  a  small 
diamond  was  fitted  up,  and  an  athletic  field,  near  the  station  ; 
and  last  winter  a  bowling  alley  was  installed,  with  two  alleys,, 
and  we  are  now  building  another  bowling  alley  at  the  second 
station.  No  fee  is  charged  for  the  bowling.  Last  winter  they 
formed  a  league  of  ten  teams.  The  men  are  bowling  more  or 
less  all  day  long,  and  we  find  that  the  men  come  to  the  works  an 
hour  ahead  of  their  shift,  and  in  summer  play  baseball  and  in 
winter  bowl.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  they  will  take  their  lunch , 
and  rush  out  on  the  field,  sometimes  as  many  as  one  hundred 
or  two  hundred  men  being  on  the  field  at  one  time,  playing- 
ball,  pitching  quoits,  playing  tennis,  croquet,  tetherball,  and 
similar  sports. 

The  implements  and  equipment  necessary  for  these  games  are 
furnished  by  the  Association,  and  so  far  the  scheme  has  been 
very  successful.  There  is  no  complaint.  There  is  a  move- 
ment on  foot  at  the  present  time  for  the  establishment  of  a 
club  house  so  that  the  men  can  have  some  place  to  assemble  in 
the  winter  time.  Whether  it  will  be  decided  to  establish  the 
club  house  I  do  not  know.  We  feel  very  much  gratified  at 
the  success  of  our  movement  so  far.  The  movement  takes  in 
everybody  in  the  employ  of  the  Company  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, or  any  of  the  works  with  which  the  Company  is  con- 
nected. We  have  some  members  from  the  works  away  from 
Philadelphia.  Of  course,  they  have  not  the  facilities  for 
using  the  ground  very  often,  but  everybody  connected  with 
the  Company,  from  the  President  down  to  the  office  boy,  is 
eligible,  and  the  officers  and  heads  of  departments  are  all  mem- 
bers. For  the  younger  clerks  under  eighteen  years  of  age,  the 
membership  fee  is  $1.00  a  year,  and  for  those  over  eighteen 
years  of  age  it  is  $2.50.  The  dues  are  payable  before  the  i5th 
of  July — they  may  be  paid  in  installments  of  fifteen  cents, 
twenty-five  cents,  or  fifty  cents.  No  suspensions  or  expulsions 
on  account  of  non-payment  of  dues  are  allowed  until  after  the 
1 5th  of  July.  If  a  member  resigns,  one-half  the  amount 
which  he  paid  is  refunded  to  him.  About  eighty  per  cent,  of 


85 

the  membership  comes  from  the  retort  and  generator  house 
men,  and  the  men  employed  at  the  manufacturing  and  distri- 
bution stations. 

MR.  A.  E.  BOARDMAN  (New  York  City)  :  This  is  a  ques- 
tion which  is  fraught  with  very  much  interest  to  all  the 
Associations  and  members  of  the  gas  fraternity,  and  we  should 
hear  both  sides  of  it.  We  have  heard  very  largely  of  the 
roseate  side  of  the  Profit-sharing  plan.  Now,  an  association  of 
interests,  such  as  a  co-partnership,  should  provide  for  loss- 
sharing  as  well  as  Profit-sharing.  We  are  engaged  in  a  busi- 
ness which  is  peculiarly  liable  to  attacks  from  municipalities 
which  we  serve,  and  it  is  oftentimes  subjected  to  a  sudden  and 
unwarranted  cutting  down  of  the  price  charged  for  gas,  and 
it  is,  sometimes,  with  great  difficulty  that  small  companies 
particularly,  are  able  to  pay  the  men  the  wages  agreed  upon 
for  some  time  after  such  a  cutting  down.  I  would  like  to 
know  if  any  experience  has  been  gleaned  as  to  the  willingness 
of  laborers  who  have  become  Profit-sharers  under  this  co-opera- 
tive plan  to  have  their  wages  reduced  and  share  in  the  losses 
incident  to  the  business,  which  sometimes  arise. 

MR.  G.  W.  CLABAUGH  (Omaha,  Neb.)  :  I  do  not  think 
that  any  of  the  artificial  gas  men  can  answer  the  question 
which  was  just  asked,  because  we  do  not  reduce  our  dividends. 
We  try  to  increase  them.  I  am  heartily  in  accord  with  every- 
thing that  has  been  said  here,  particularly  the  lines  laid  out 
by  Mr.  Shelton  in  Profit-sharing  and  in  the  fourth  item  of  his 
paper,  which  relates  to  co-partnership.  To  my  mind,  co-part- 
nership is  the  solution  of  this  problem.  I  think  that  the  men 
should  be  given  certain  shares  of  stock,  the  same  to  remain 
with  the  Company,  the  dividends  to  be  paid  upon  the  stock, 
and  the  stock  to  be  paid  for  by  the  dividends — no  money  to  be 
paid  to  the  shareholder  whatever  until  he  is  the  full  owner  of 
the  stock.  The  stock  should  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  Com- 
pany as  its  property  until  fully  paid  for,  unless  a  man  should 
leave  the  employ  of  the  Company,  when  he  should  receive  the 
amount  of  dividends  that  have  accrued  to  him.  This  is  a 
matter  of  detail  to  be  taken  up  and  considered  separately. 

The  main  question  is  that  of  co-partnership — the  man  feel- 


86 

ing  that  he  is  a  partner  in  the  Company  ;  that  the  business  is 
partly  his  ;  that  as  the  profits  increase  his  receipts  will  increase, 
and  that  is  what  we  are  all  after,  gentlemen.  We  come  here 
and  listen  to  papers  about  the  reduction  in  the  price  of  gas, 
the  reduced  cost  of  its  production.  We  all  want  to  see  that, 
but  we  want  to  make  some  records  that  will  be  worth  more  to 
our  companies,  because  we  can  reduce  the  price  of  gas  when 
the  conditions  warrant. 

I  have  no  use  for  the  man  who  will  get  up  and  say,  "  I  do 
it  because  I  love  the  work,  and  not  for  what  the  work  will 
bring  me,"  because  we  cannot  get  along  without  the  necessities 
of  life.  There  is  another  side  to  this  question.  The  National 
Cash  Register  Company,  of  Dayton,  O.,  started  some  years 
ago  to  fit  up  their  place  in  a  most  beautiful  and  attractive 
manner  for  their  men.  They  had  bath  rooms  for  their  men, 
they  gave  them  shares  in  the  business,  and  all  that  kind  of 
thing.  After  awhile,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  men  came  to 
the  management  and  stated  that  the  men  would  no  longer  use 
the  towels  which  were  supplied  to  them.  He  was  asked  what 
he  meant,  and  he  replied  that  the  towels  were  laundered  by  a 
non-union  or  unfair  laundry.  The  man  was  told  that  they 
were  laundered  by  the  widow  of  one  of  the  former  workmen 
employed  at  the  works.  The  reply  came,  "  Yes,  but  he  was  a 
non-union  man."  The  consequence  was  that  the  men  would 
not  use  the  towels.  It  was  not  long  afterward  before  the  soap 
manufacturers  got  into  trouble  with  the  unions,  and  then  the 
employees  of  this  factory  of  which  we  are  speaking  would  not 
use  the  soap.  They  did  not  get  the  benefit  of  the  cleanliness 
we  are  all  talking  about.  This  may  be  an  isolated  instance, 
but  we  must  consider  that  we  have  the  unions  to  deal  with. 
We  have  them  with  us.  We  do  not  want  them.  We  want  to 
treat  them  as  we  treat  non-union  men.  We  want  the  open 
shop,  and  I  think  it  will  undoubtedly  come.  But  I  believe  in 
treating  union  men  fairly  and  giving  them  every  advantage 
and  opportunity  that  they  ask  for  which  is  right  and  proper,, 
give  them  the  same  wages  and  give  them  the  same  treatment 
as  we  give  non-union  men,  but,  gentlemen,  we  have  got  to  get 
next  to  our  men,  whether  they  be  union  men  or  non-union 
men.  As  one  gentleman  has  said — gain  their  hearts  ;  and 


87 

when  you  gain  the  hearts  of  the  union  men  honestly  and  fear- 
lessly, then  you  can  carry  out  the  Golden  Rule  that  we  know 
so  well  we  all  should  follow  at  every  opportunity. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  (Louisville,  Ky.)  :  I  move  a 
vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Shelton  for  his  very  able  and  interesting 
paper. 

MR.  J.  M.  BERKLEY  (  Bloomington,  111.)  :  Before  the  dis- 
cussion on  this  paper  is  closed,  permit  me  to  add  a  few  words 
to  the  remarks  I  made  a  moment  ago  in  regard  to  union  labor 
and  its  influence.  Immediately  after  we  changed  the  class  of 
our  labor  and  put  in  non-union  men — making  no  distinction 
between  union  and  non-union  men,  the  men  petitioned  us  to 
go  from  eight  hours  to  twelve  hours  (making  ten  hours  and 
thirty  minutes  actual  work) ,  at  the  same  pay.  I  think  ours 
is  the  only  company  in  the  United  States,  where  the  men  have 
voluntarily  petitioned  the  Company  to  change  the  working 
hours  to  a  longer  time  for  the  same  pay.  There  must  have 
been  some  unity  of  feeling  in  this  request,  or  they  would  not 
have  made  it. 

MR.  A.  B.  MACBETH  (Kansas  City,  Mo.)  :  Does  the 
gentleman  mean  at  the  same  pay  per  day,  or  the  same  rate  per 
hour? 

MR.  BERKLEY  :  I  mean  $2.50  per  day  for  the  first  man, 
and  $2.25  per  day  for  the  second  man,  whether  he  worked  on 
an  eight  hour  watch  or  a  twelve  hour  watch. 

MR.  JAMES  W.  DUNBAR  (  New  Albany,  Ind.)  :  I  ask  what 
became  of  the  other  shift  of  men  ?  Did  they  also  petition  to 
be  let  out  of  the  employment  of  the  Company,  by  reason  of 
the  advance  in  the  number  of  hours  of  work  ? 

MR.  BERKLEY  :  I  will  answer  Mr.  Dunbar  by  saying  that 
they  are  digging  ditches  or  shoveling  in  the  street — anything 
they  can  get  to  do. 

MR.  DUNBAR  :  What  I  want  to  know  is  if  the  men  who 
were  let  out  petitioned  to  be  let  out  ?  Did  they  join  with  their 
associates  ? 


88 

MR.   BERKLEY  :      There  were  not  any  left  to  be  let  out  —  it 
a  clean  sweep. 


MR.  E.  G.  COWDERY  (St.  Louis,  Mo.)  :  I  believe  this  is 
a  very  important  subject.  I  think  it  is  a  good  subject  to  bring 
before  such  a  Congress.  I  think  we  will  all  be  rather  forced 
into  adopting  some  means  to  create  good  feeling,  loyalty  and 
•enthusiasm  to  the  cause  of  the  Company  among  our  employees, 
even  though  we  do  not  think  at  the  present  moment  that  such 
a  course  is  necessary  or  desirable.  Just  what  means  are  to 
be  taken  to  bring  this  about  is  a  great  problem.  I  have  not 
been  able  to  settle  in  my  own  mind  just  what  is  the  proper 
thing  for  the  purpose. 

In  Milwaukee  some  years  ago,  we  adopted,  after  a  great  deal 
of  thought,  a  scheme  by  which  we  paid  to  the  regular,  old 
employees  of  the  Company,  a  bonus  for  good  service  ;  that  is, 
any  employee,  after  he  had  been  with  the  Company  for  one  year, 
was  entitled  to  a  bonus,  if  he  fulfilled  all  the  conditions  of  his 
employment.  He  had  to  be  a  regular  employee  of  the  Com- 
pany to  be  entitled  to  it,  and  to  be  a  regular  employee  he  had 
to  work  five  full  months  out  of  every  six  months,  and  that  left 
him  some  little  leeway  —  the  little  time  he  was  away  on  a  vaca- 
tion, the  little  time  he  was  off  sick  —  but  if  he  worked  only  four 
months  and  twenty  days  he  lost  his  bonus.  Every  man  in 
the  employ  of  the  Company  came  to  understand  that  these 
were  the  conditions,  and  they  were  strictly  enforced.  I  believe 
the  plan  worked  out  very  acceptably  for  the  Milwaukee  Com- 
pany. It  was  kept  in  force  there  for  several  years  ;  I  do  not 
remember  how  many,  but  somewhere  between  four  and  five 
years  probably.  The  bonus  was  based  upon  a  percentage  of 
their  wages,  equivalent  to  the  amount  paid  to  the  stockholders 
of  the  Company  on  the  stock  which  they  held.  Six  per  cent. 
was  paid  on  the  stock.  There  came  along  a  period  of  two  or 
three  years  when  wages  ran  very  high,  but  the  wages  of  the 
Milwaukee  Company  were  not  increased,  as  the  wages  of  other 
labor  was  being  increased,  but  it  was  deemed  advisable  at  that 
time  to  increase  the  bonus  to  ten  percent,  of  their  wages,  even 
if  the  stockholders  received  but  six  per  cent.  Personally  I 
was  a  great  believer  in  the  good  effect  of  this  movement.  I 


89 

do  not  say  that  it  was  the  best  thing  that  could  be  adopted. 
There  may  be  something  better  which  could  be  adopted,  but  at 
the  present  time  I  do  not  know  what  it  is.  I  heard  a  great  deal 
of  comment  on  the  movement  in  Milwaukee,  and  many  expres- 
sions from  different  sources  as  to  the  good  effect  upon  the  Com- 
pany in  paying  these  bonuses.  I  heard  it  directly  from  the 
wives  of  the  men  largely,  through  their  remarks  to  the  bankers, 
where  they  cashed  their  pay  checks,  and  from  the  women  at 
the  grocers'  and  other  stores  where  they  cashed  the  pay  checks 
of  their  husbands,  complimenting  the  Gas  Company  for  the 
action  it  had  taken,  and  these  women  expressed  very  kindly 
feelings  toward  the  Gas  Company  for  the  adoption  of  such  a 
scheme,  particularly  a  bonus  which  was  paid  to  the  help  once 
in  six  months,  which  brought  in  a  nice  amount  of  money  in 
one  lump,  which,  as  a  general  thing,  went  into  the  hands  of 
the  wives.  The  women  took  care  of  it  and  therefore  the  good 
results  of  the  plan  went  directly  into  the  home. 

I  have  heard  fully  as  much  comment  on  this  system  since  I 
came  to  St.  Louis  as  before.  I  have  had  visits  this  Spring 
from  some  of  the  employees  of  the  Milwaukee  Company  who 
came  down  to  St.  Louis  to  see  what  was  going  on,  and  they 
would  come  in  to  see  me,  and  would  comment  particularly  on 
the  Company's  scheme  which  was  in  force  in  Milwaukee,  tell- 
ing what  a  good  thing  it  was,  how  the  men  appreciated  it, 
how  they  appreciated  it,  and  their  fellow- workmen  appreciated 
it ;  and  I  cannot  help  but  think  that  it  created  a  great  deal  of 
good  feeling  among  the  employees. 

I  have  to  apologize  for  not  having  attempted  to  do  anything 
of  the  kind  in  St.  Louis,  for  the  reason  that  the  class  of 
employees  here  is  not  such  a  class,  taken  right  through,  as  I 
would  care  to  retain  in  our  employment  through  a  series 
of  years.  I  do  not  care  to  encourage  them  to  stay  with  us, 
and  I  did  not  think  it  was  a  proper  time  to  take  up  something 
of  this  kind,  and  I  do  not  think  it  will  be  until  we  change  the 
character  of  the  men  and  bring  them  a  little  nearer  to  the 
class  of  men  we  feel  are  such  that  we  would  desire  to  keep 
with  us  right  along. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Stone)  :  Is  Mr.  Ernest  F.  Lloyd, 
of  Detroit,  in  the  room  ?  We  understood  that  he  would  dis- 


90 

cuss  this  paper.  If  he  is  not  here  we  would  like  any  other 
member  to  discuss  it  who  wishes  to  do  so.  This  Congress,  so 
far,  reminds  me  of  a  Methodist  testimonial  meeting — the  testi- 
mony has  been  all  on  one  side.  We  have  heard  the  good  side. 
If  there  is  any  bad  side,  we  would  be  glad  to  hear  that  also. 
If  there  are  no  champions  of  the  bad  side,  we  will  conclude 
that  it  is  all  good  and  close  the  discussion. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  (Louisville,  Ky. )  :  I  renew  the 
motion  that  a  vote  of  thanks  be  tendered  Mr.  Shelton  for  his 
able  and  interesting  paper. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Stone)  :  Before  putting  the  motion r 
we  will  give  Mr.  Shelton  an  opportunity  to  close  the  discus- 
sion, if  there  are  any  further  remarks  which  he  desires  to- 
make. 

MR.  F.  H.  SHELTON  :  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Chairman,  for  the 
opportunity  to  further  discuss  this  subject,  but  there  is  nothing 
that  I  wish  to  answer  particularly,  that  has  been  brought  out 
in  the  discussion.  I  only  hope  the  effect  of  the  discussion  will 
be  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the  gentlemen  present  at  this 
Congress,  the  desirability  of  doing  what  they  can  in  the  direc- 
tion outlined  in  the  paper,  so  that  some  substantial  advance 
may  be  made  along  these  lines  in  the  gas  industry.  I  hope 
that  the  members  will  think  of  what  they  ought  to  do,  of  what 
they  can  do,  and  of  what  we  hope  they  will  do  to  better  the 
condition  of  their  workmen  ;  everything  we  can  do  to  improve 
the  condition  of  our  workmen  on  these  lines,  is  certainly  for 
the  common  good. 

MR.  A.  E.  FORSTALL  (New  York  City)  :  Although  Mr. 
Shelton  did  not  feel  that  he  had  the  space  within  the  limits  of 
his  paper  to  give  a  detailed  description  of  the  South  Metro- 
politan Company's  Profit-sharing  scheme,  and  suggested  that 
those  who  wanted  such  details  should  write  to  him  for  particu- 
lars, as  I  have  always  found  if  you  want  to  give  people 
information  that  they  will  use,  it  is  better  to  give  it  to  them 
all  at  once,  I  suggest,  with  Mr.  Shelton's  permission,  that 
we  publish  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Congress,  as  an  appendix 
to  his  paper,  a  complete  description  of  the  South  Metropolitan 


91 

Company's  Profit-sharing  scheme.  There  are  some  points 
about  it  which  are  absolutely  necessary,  it  seems  to  me,  to  the 
success  of  any  Profit-sharing  scheme,  and  I  think  we  ought  to 
have  them  fairly  in  mind  ;  because  I  hope  that  the  result  of 
this  discussion  will  be  the  starting  of  Profit-sharing  and 
co-partnership  schemes  in  many  gas  works  in  this  country. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  (Louisville,  Ky.)  :  I  move  that 
this  be  incorporated  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Congress. 

MR.  PAUL  THOMPSON  (  Philadelphia,  Pa.)  :  As  I  under- 
stand the  discussion  on  Mr.  Shelton's  paper  is  about  closed, 
I  would  move  the  following  resolution  : 

"After  hearing  Mr.  Shelton  read  the  letter  from  Sir  George 
Livesey,  we,  the  First  Congress  of  American  Gas  Associations, 
in  meeting  assembled,  convey  our  thanks  to  Sir  George  Livesey, 
for  his  very  interesting  and  instructive  remarks  on  a  subject 
which  is  very  dear  to  us  all." 

(  The  above  motion  was  carried.) 

(  MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD'S  motion,  that  a  vote  of  thanks 
be  given  to  Mr.  Shelton,  and  that  a  complete  description  of 
the  Profit-sharing  and  Co-partnership  scheme  of  the  South 
Metropolitan  Company  be  published  as  an  Appendix  to 
Mr.  Shelton's  paper,  was  carried.) 

THE  SECRETARY  :  I  have  received  letters  acknowledging 
the  receipt  of  invitations  to  attend  the  Congress,  and  express- 
ing regret  at  being  unable  to  attend,  from  : 

P.  BOLSIUS,  President  of  the  Dutch  Gas  Association,  and 
Editor  of  *'  Het  Gas." 

W.  VON  OECHELHAEUSER,  General  Director  of  the  German 
Continental  Gas  Association. 

FRANK  P.  TARRATT,  President  of  the  North  of  England 
Gas  Managers'  Association. 

H.  TOWNSEND,  President  of  the  Manchester  District  Insti- 
tution of  Gas  Engineers. 

ALEX.  C.  HUMPHREYS,  President  of  Stevens  Institute  of 
Technology. 


92 

THE  PRESIDENT  (  Mr.  Stone)  :  We  will  now  listen  to  a 
paper  on  "  Gas  Inspection,"  by  Mr.  Ira  C.  Copley,  of  Aurora, 
111. 

CITY  GAS  INSPECTION  AND  INSPECTORS. 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  : 

When  asked  to  prepare  a  paper  on  ' '  City  Gas  Inspection 
and  Inspectors,"  I  had  an  idea  that  most  of  the  subject  matter 
of  this  paper  could  be  developed  from  studying  the  various 
municipal  regulations  governing  this  point.  To  my  surprise, 
I  find  that  there  are  only  a  few  of  the  larger  cities  that  have 
any  regulations  whatever,  and  only  two  or  three  enforce  them 
rigidly. 

This  statement,  of  course,  does  not  apply  to  the  municipali- 
ties in  Massachusetts. 

Finding  little  of  value  among  the  regulations  of  the  differ- 
ent municipalities,  I  went  to  the  statutes  of  the  different  States 
and  find  that  legislation  has  been  enacted  in  Massachusetts, 
New  York,  Connecticut,  New  Jersey,  Delaware,  Ohio  and 
California.  An  examination  of  the  indices  of  the  statutes  of 
the  other  States  fails  to  show  anything  on  the  subject. 

The  various  municipalities  and  the  State  statutes  that  have 
come  under  my  observation  have  naturally  divided  this  ques- 
tion of  inspection  into  two  parts — the  determination  of  the 
efficiency  and  purity  of  the  gas  and  the  testing  of  the  gas 
meter  to  assure  the  consumer  that  he  is  getting  all  that  he 
pays  for,  therefore,  if  I  carry  out  the  President's  request,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  make  suggestions  along  these  two  lines. 

The  problem  of  devising  a  scheme  of  gas  inspection  that 
will  be  satisfactory  in  cities  of  all  sizes  and  for  all  localities 
without  working  undue  hardship  to  anyone,  is  indeed  com- 
plex. The  prescribing  of  the  duties  of  the  gas  inspector  is 
comparatively  simple.  The  first  principle,  without  which  no 
solution  is  possible,  is  a  sincere  desire  on  the  part  of  the  man- 
agement of  any  gas  undertaking,  to  serve  the  public  with  the 
best  product  possible  and  at  a  fair  profit.  The  second  is 
absolute  honesty  of  dealing  on  the  part  of  the  municipal 
officials,  including  the  gas  inspector. 


93 

It  is  first  necessary  to  start  with  the  hypothesis  that  there 
should  be  no  need  of  city  or  other  inspections  and  inspectors, 
but  even  then  it  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest  importance  that 
the  purchaser  shall  be  satisfied  that  he  is  getting  what  he  pays 
for,  and  I  take  it  for  granted  that  each  one  of  you  realizes 
that  a  reputation  for  fairness  on  the  part  of  the  company,  is 
an  asset  of  great  value. 

It  is  a  simple  matter  for  the  greater  municipalities  of  this 
country  to  adopt  regulations  that  will  ensure  to  the  consumer 
quality  of  gas  and  accuracy  of  measurement,  without  working 
any  hardship  which  the  writer  would  consider  at  all  commen- 
surate with  the  benefits  to  be  derived  by  the  company  itself. 
At  most,  an  inspection  bureau  of  two  or  three  men  could 
entirely  cover  any  one  city,  and  the  consumers  of  the  com- 
pany, who  were  dissatisfied,  could  be  answered  by  the  com- 
pany that  there  was  the  statement  of  their  own  employee — the 
official  municipal  inspector.  The  cost  of  maintaining  this 
department,  even  if  borne  entirely  by  the  gas  company,  would 
be  so  insignificant  that  it  could  scarcely  be  represented  by 
fractions  of  one  cent  per  thousand  cubic  feet  of  gas  sold.  But 
with  the  medium  and  smaller  sized  cities,  the  problem  is  very 
different — either  a  serious  burden  must  be  added  to  the  cost  of 
producing  the  gas,  or  it  must  be  shifted  to  the  shoulders  of 
those  who  purchase  it,  if  competent  inspection  is  to  be 
provided. 

In  my  own  line  of  reasoning  I  have  adopted  the  State  as  a 
unit,  believing  such  to  be  the  only  arrangement  by  which 
consumers  and  companies  can  be  most  nearly  assured  of 
inspection  by  inspectors  not  prejudiced  by  local  conditions,  for 
if  one  gas  company  in  a  single  town  of  an  entire  State  fails  to 
recognize  the  obligation  which  it  owes  to  the  people  which  it 
serves,  it  is  worth  the  while  of  all  the  people  in  that  State  to 
protect  the  citizens  who  are  thus  misused.  It  must  be  left  for 
each  municipal  corporation  to  take  care  of  its  own,  or  for  the 
State  to  take  up  the  matter  and  provide  assurances  of  satisfac- 
tory service  and  measurement  for  those  of  its  citizens  who  buy 
gas  for  any  purpose  whatsoever. 

If  each  municipality  continues  to  work  along  independent 
lines,  as  is  now  the  case  in  every  State  excepting  Massachu- 


94 

setts,  it  means  almost  as  many  standards  and  almost  as  many 
methods  as  there  are  municipalities  taking  up  the  question, 
and,  in  addition,  it  means  a  confusion  of  local  interests,  which, 
in  the  judgment  of  the  writer,  might  at  some  time  or  other, 
work  hardship  either  to  the  consumer  or  the  company.  Many 
of  the  States  recognizing  this  principle  in  other  lines,  have 
adopted  laws  governing  the  purity  "and  wholesomeness  of  food 
stuffs  sold  within  their  limits,  and  provide  a  bureau  of  inspec- 
tion to  ensure  the  carrying  out  of  their  intentions. 

The  mere  fact  that  the  gas  industry  requires  a  permanent 
investment  of  enormous  amounts  of  capital,  ought  to  make 
less  need  for  regulation  and  inspection  in  this  than  in  most 
other  commodities  sold.  The  nature  of  this  investment  is  such 
that  it  might  be  prejudiced  almost  in  its  entirety,  therefore 
the  capital  needs  a  much  more  careful  and  conservative 
management. 

There  are  no  records  which  have  come  under  the  observa- 
tion of  the  writer  of  any  value  whatever  excepting  the  annual 
reports  of  the  Board  of  Gas  and  Electric  Light  Commissioners 
of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  The  statutes  govern- 
ing this  Board,  and  in  fact,  all  other  State  statutes  on  the  sub- 
ject, were  enacted  at  a  time  when  the  illuminating  value  of  the 
gas  was  of  prime  importance.  The  purposes  for  which  gas 
is  largely  used  now  are  very  different  from  what  they  were 
at  the  time  of  these  various  enactments,  and  yet  even  a  strict 
construction  and  enforcement  of  any  of  these  statutes  will 
work  no  hardship  to  either  the  consumer  or  the  company. 

The  laws  of  Massachusetts  are  a  long  way  in  advance  of 
any  of  the  others,  even  in  their  conception  and  in  the  manner  in 
which  they  are  carried  out.  Those  of  New  York,  Connecticut, 
New  Jersey,  Delaware  and  Ohio  are  general  in  their  scope. 
Those  of  California  authorize  cities  of  more  than  100,000  popu- 
lation to  fix  a  standard  of  quality  and  illuminating  power,  each 
for  itself,  providing  that  such  illuminating  power  shall  not  be 
less  than  sixteen  candles. 

From  every  standpoint  from  which  we  consider  these  vari- 
ous acts,  we  are  brought  back  to  the  comparative  complete- 
ness of  those  of  Massachusetts.  Of  course,  this  State  offers  a 
particularly  favorable  field  for  the  development  of  State  inspec- 


95 

tion  for  the  reason  that  its  area  is  comparatively  small  and  its 
population  comparatively  dense,  and  yet  the  same  principle  of 
inspection  might  be  adopted  by  all  excepting  a  few  of  the 
smaller  States,  without  adding  materially  to  the  cost  of  gas 
•either  to  the  company  or  to  the  consumer. 

It  might  be  objected  to  the  suggestion  that  each  State  adopt 
its  own  inspection  bureau,  that  this  plan  would  add  to  the  cost 
of  inspection  in  the  larger  cities  and  reduce  the  cost  of 
inspection  in  the  smaller  ones — that  such  an  arrangement 
would  be  undemocratic.  I  can  offer  in  reply  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  every  political  unit,  whether  great  or  small,  to  take 
equal  care  of  all  of  its  citizens,  and  the  citizens  who  are  more 
favored  in  one  line  are  compelled  to  do  a  little  something  for 
their  less  favored  fellows.  The  United  States  government  has 
recognized  this  principle  in  its  postal  laws.  It  will  carry  a 
letter  many  thousand  miles  for  two  cents,  absolutely  at  a  loss, 
whereas  it  will  charge  the  same  price  for  delivering  a  letter 
but  a  few  blocks  in  any  of  the  large  cities  of  this  country. 
Political  units  must  have  uniformity. 

The  Massachusetts  law  orders  that  every  gas  company  which 
.sells  fifteen  million  cubic  feet  of  gas  or  more  per  year  for 
illuminating  purposes,  shall  provide  a  suitable  room  at  least 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  works,  such  room  containing  a 
disc  photometer  of  construction  approved  by  the  State  inspec- 
tor, which  shall  be  open  to  the  inspector  and  his  assistants  on 
every  week  day  from  eight  a.  m.  to  six  p.  m.  The  modern 
•development  of  the  gas  business  might  suggest  an  improvement 
by  cutting  out  the  words  ' '  for  illuminating  purposes, ' '  but  it 
would  be  comparatively  inexpensive  to  fit  up  such  a  room,  and 
in  addition  to  this,  to  add  such  other  simple  apparatus  as  is 
necessary  to  determine  the  quantity  of  sulphur,  ammonia, 
carbonic  acid,  sulphuretted  hydrogen  and  other  undesirable 
ingredients. 

The  number  of  inspections  which  might  be  made  yearly, 
would  be  a  matter  for  each  bureau  to  take  up  for  itself.  The 
Eighteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  Massachusetts  Commissioners 
states  that  the  chief  inspector  alone,  made,  during  the  year 
covered  by  this  report,  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  inspections. 
The  law  further  provides  that  each  company  shall  have  at 


96 

least  two  inspections  per  year,  and  once  additional  to  every  six 
million  cubic  feet  of  gas  sold  by  each  company,  but  not  oftener 
than  once  a  week. 

Many  of  our  States  have  organized  State  banks  under  laws 
similar  to  the  National  Banking  Act,  but  with  broader  powers, 
and  many  of  the  States  have  bank  examiners  just  as  the 
National  banking  system  has  examiners.  These  employees 
are  paid  a  fee  for  examining  the  affairs  of  banks,  and  the  fee 
is  usually  graduated  according  to  the  capital  of  the  bank.  I 
believe  that  it  would  be  entirely  possible  for  the  gas  inspection 
bureau  to  provide  for  a  certain  number  of  inspections  per  year 
according  to  the  amount  of  gas  sold  by  the  companies,  with  a 
fee  graduated  either  according  to  the  capital  stock  of  the  com- 
pany, to  the  assessed  valuation  of  the  company,  or  better  still, 
to  the  volume  of  sales  of  the  company.  The  State  might  pro- 
vide the  inspector  with  a  portable  photometer  for  use  in  such 
towns  in  which  it  would  be  a  real  hardship  to  the  company  to 
maintain  one.  He  might  also  be  provided  with  a  calorimeter 
and  add  the  determination  of  heat  units  to  the  reading  of  the 
photometer. 

The  other  line  of  work  which  the  department  would  have  to 
take  up  is  that  of  testing  meters,  and  I  am  sure  you 
will  all  agree  with  me  that  you  are  willing  to  pay  any  reason- 
able sum  to  throw  the  responsibility  of  this  on  to  the  shoulders 
of  some  recognized  official  authority. 

Again,  I  can  offer  no  better  suggestion  than  to  follow  the 
Massachusetts  law  with  some  modifications.  If  every  con- 
sumer were  assured  that  the  meter  set  in  his  premises  had 
been  tested  by  some  official  inspector — his  own  employee  as  it 
were — it  would  very  materially  reduce  the  suspicion  in  which 
the  veracity  of  that  instrument  is  held.  In  Massachusetts,  the 
fee  for  this  inspection  is  but  twenty-five  cents.  This  insignifi- 
cant sum  is  properly  a  charge  against  the  capital  account  of 
the  company.  By  adding  a  few  cents  to  this  inspection  fee, 
the  department  could  be  made  well-nigh  self-supporting  and 
the  capital  account  of  the  company  would  not  be  increased  to- 
such  a  degree  that  the  earnings  to  which  it  is  legitimately 
entitled,  could  make  an  appreciable  difference  to  each  individ- 
ual consumer. 


It  would  be  a  very  simple  matter  for  a  company  in  any 
State  placing  an  order  for  new  meters,  to  have  them  sent  first 
to  the  home  office  of  the  department  for  inspection,  and,  after 
being  certified,  to  have  them  recrated  and  forwarded  to  the  pur- 
chaser. The  additional  freight  charge  would  be  very  small, 
and  that,  too,  might  properly  be  considered  a  capital  charge 
against  the  company. 

Have  any  of  you  ever  kept  a  record  of  the  number  of  meters 
that  are  tested  for  complaints  ?  If  so,  you  will  not  be  sur- 
prised when  I  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  same 
Eighteenth  Annual  Report  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  shows 
but  996  meters  tested  for  complaints  during  the  year,  and  this 
out  of  a  total  of  243,938  meters.  This  percentage,  insignifi- 
cant as  it  appears,  is  the  largest  within  the  past  five  years. 
The  contemplation  of  this,  together  with  my  own  records  on 
the  subject,  show  that  the  percentage  is  so  small  that  the 
tempest,  annoying  as  it  may  seem,  is  of  teapot  proportions, 
and  I  believe  if  each  one  of  you  will  go  over  his  records,  he 
will  find  the  Massachusetts  report  is  a  fair  average  of  the 
percentage  of  its  kind. 

My  only  comment  on  the  inspector  is  that  he  do  his  duty, 
and  my  suggestion  to  you  is  that  you  make  his  work  as  light 
as  possible. 

All  of  this  pre-supposes  an  arrangement  either  by  the  large 
municipalities  or  by  the  State.  There  is  scarcely  a  gas  com- 
pany represented  in  this  Association  which  is  not  within  such 
distance  of  some  city  of  size  sufficient  to  support  an  inspector, 
to  make  freight  or  express  charges  to  and  from  that  centre  of 
little  account. 

All  this  pre-supposes  that  an  inspection  bureau  has  been 
created,  either  in  large  cities  or  under  State  control. 

Most  of  the  large  cities  already  have  a  more  or  less  active 
meter  inspection  bureau.  Pending  the  adoption  of  some  ideal 
form,  I  can  only  urge  each  one  of  you  to  use  such  means 
as  are  at  your  disposal.  The  man  who  has  waited  until  he 
could  get  the  best  tools  before  making  anything,  has  gener- 
ally spent  his  life  in  waiting.  Those  of  you  in  the  large  cities 
can  use  your  inspectors  freely.  Those  of  you  in  small  places, 


93 

tributary  to  the  large  places,  can  also  use  these  inspectors,  if 
not  in  every  particular,  yet  to  great  advantage. 

The  writer  knows  of  several  undertakings  in  cities  too  small 
to  support  a  competent  inspection  bureau,  that  have  for  ten 
years  or  more  used  the  following  plan  \vith  relation  to  meter 
inspection.  When  a  customer  makes  complaint,  he  is  asked 
to  fix  a  time  when  he  was  satisfied  with  his  meter.  It  may 
have  been  two  or  three  months — it  might  have  been  several 
months  past.  After  this  time  has  been  agreed  upon,  the  com- 
pany makes  this  offer  :  ' '  We  have  all  the  apparatus  necessary 
for  accurately  testing  meters.  We  will  remove  your  meter  in 
your  presence,  take  you  to  our  room,  show  you  the  apparatus, 
explain  its  use,  and  test  the  meter  under  your  eyes."  If  the 
consumer  is  not  satisfied  with  such  an  arrangement,  another 
plan  is  suggested — that  the  meter  be  removed  in  his  presence 
and  expressed  to  a  representative  of  any  maker  of  meters 
within  the  nearest  large  city  supporting  such  a  manufacturer's 
agent— a  rival  manufacturer  if  he  prefers — the  report  to  be 
made  in  duplicate,  one  to  be  sent  to  the  consumer  and  one 
to  the  company. 

If  he  still  feels  that  he  is  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  the 
offer  is  mad,e  to  send  it  to  the  nearest  large  city  having  an 
official  meter  inspector.  If  the  test  is  made  by  the  company, 
there  is  no  charge,  whatever  may  be  the  result. 

If  the  meter  shows  more  than  two  per  cent,  fast,  the  com- 
pany agrees  to  rebate  that  amount  from  the  time  at  which  the 
consumer  has  expressed  himself  as  being  satisfied  with  his 
meter  and  the  company  pays  all  the  cost  of  the  test. 

If  the  meter  is  more  than  three  per  cent,  slow,  it  is  made 
clear  to  the  consumer  that  he  ought  to  be  as  fair  to  the  com- 
pany and  must  expect  to  rebate  the  amount  that  he  has  gained 
through  the  error  of  the  meter  and  to  pay  the  cost  of  the  test 
himself. 

If  the  meter  is  within  these  limits,  it  is  to  be  considered 
substantially  correct,  and  although  the  test  was  made  for  the 
satisfaction  of  the  consumer,  the  company  will  divide  the  cost 
of  the  test  with  him. 

The  writer  knows  of  his  own  knowledge  that  the  percentage 
of  tests  for  complaints  has  not  exceeded  that  as  reported  by 


99 

the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  Massachusetts — so  insignificant 
that  it  is  not  worthy  of  consideration  as  anything  other  than 
an  incidental  item  of  expense. 

In  summing  up  I  would  say,  first — that  an  official  gas  and 
meter  inspection  ought  to  be  made  a  very  valuable  adjunct  to 
any  gas  undertaking  wherever  the  volume  of  business  is  of 
such  proportions  that  the  expense  would  not  be  too  great. 
This  might  easily  be  avoided  in  the  case  of  ninety-five  percent, 
of  the  gas  sold  in  this  country  by  the  adoption  of  a  system  of 
State  gas  inspection.  The  other  five  per  cent,  would  not  be 
compelled  to  face  a  more  serious  problem  at  any  one  time 
than  they  do  at  present. 

Next,  it  ought  to  be  encouraged  by  the  various  companies 
for  the  reason  that  the  public  are  just  as  prone  to  have  con- 
fidence in  their  own  employees — the  official  inspectors — as  are 
the  company,  and  next,  and  most  important,  that  the  manage- 
ment of  each  company  so  earnestly  strives  to  make  inspection 
unnecessary  and  so  sincerely  welcomes  any  scheme  that  will 
honestly  shift  the  burden  of  suspicion,  which  must  arise  in  the 
minds  of  some  to  whom  he  sells  gas,  that  more  good  will  and 
more  public  confidence  is  assured.  The  writer  believes  that 
honestly  administrated,  a  State  inspection  bureau  could  be 
maintained  in  States  in  which  one  thousand  million  cubic  feet 
of  gas  per  year  is  sold,  at  an  expenditure  of  less  than  half  a 
cent  per  thousand,  and  very  much  less  as  the  volume  of  sales 
is  increased. 


APPENDIX. 

REGULATIONS   IN    REGARD  TO  GAS   INSPECTION  OF  VARIOUS  STATES  AND 

MUNICIPALITIES. 
(This  appendix  was  not  read  at  the  meeting.) 

STATE     REGULATIONS. 
MASSACHUSETTS  STATUTES. 

Section  1.  There  shall  be  a  board  of  gas  and  electric  light  commissioners 
consisting  of  three  persons,  citizens  of  this  commonwealth,  one  of  whom  shall 
annually  before  the  first  day  of  July  be  appointed  by  the  governor,  with  the 
advice  and  consent  of  the  council,  for  a  term  of  three  years  from  said  day.  The 
commissioners  shall  be  sworn  to  the  faithful  performance  of  their  official  duties. 
They  shall  not  be  in  the  employ  of  or  own  any  stock  in  any  gas  or  electric 
light  company,  or  be  in  any  way,  directly  or  indirectly,  pecuniarily  interested  in 
the  manufacture  or  sale  of  gas  or  electric  light  or  of  any  article  or  commodity 
used  by  gas  or  electric  companies  or  used  for  any  purpose  connected  with  the 
manufacture  or  sale  of  gas  or  electric  light,  and  shall  not  engage  in  any  other 
business.  The  governor  shall  designate  the  chairman  of  the  board  and  may, 
with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  council,  remove  any  member  for  cause  after 
notice  and  hearing.  The  chairman  of  the  board  shall  receive  from  the  common- 
wealth an  annual  salary  of  four  thousand  dollars  and  each  of  the  other  two 
members  an  annual  salary  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.  The  board 
shall  be  provided  with  an  office  in  the  State  House,  or  in  some  other  suitable 
place  in  the  city  of  Boston  in  which  their  records  shall  be  kept. 

Section  2.  The  board  shall  have  a  clerk,  who  shall  be  appointed  by  the 
governor,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  council,  who  shall  not  engage  in 
any  other  business,  shall  keep  a  full  and  faithful  record  of  the  proceedings  of 
the  board,  shall  serve  such  notices  and  perform  such  other  duties  as  the 
commissioners  may  require  and  shall  be  sworn  before  entering  upon  the 
performance  of  his  duties. 

Section  3*  The  board  may  expend  not  more  than  three  thousand  dollars 
annually  for  necessary  statistics,  books  and  stationery  and  for  necessary  inci- 
dental expenses ;  and  not  more  than  forty-one  hundred  dollars  annually  for 
clerical  assistance. 

Section  4.  The  annual  expenses  of  the  commissioners  and  clerk,  includ- 
ing salaries,  shall  be  borne  by  the  several  gas  and  electric  light  companies  in 
proportion  to  their  gross  earnings,  and  shall  be  assessed  and  recovered  in  the 
manner  provided  by  Section  Ten  of  chapter  one  hundred  and  eleven  for  the 
assessment  and  recovery  of  the  expenses  of  the  railroad  commissioners. 

Section  5»  Said  board  shall  have  the  general  supervision  of  all  corpor- 
ations and  companies  which  are  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  ga* 
or  electricity  for  light  and  heat,  and  shall  make  all  necessary  examinations  and 


101 

inquiries  and  keep  themselves  informed  as  to  the  compliance1!  pf'^he*  'sevter^J 
corporations  and  companies  with  the  provisions  of  law. 

Section  6.  The  board  shall,  from  time  to  time,  ascertain  what  degree  of 
purity  can  reasonably  be  required  in  gas  made  and  supplied  by  corporations 
and  companies  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  gas  for  light  or  heat, 
and  shall  report  to  the  general  court,  when,  in  its  opinion,  any  change  in  the 
law  relative  thereto  is  desirable. 

Section  7.  The  board  shall  annually  on  or  before  the  first  Wednesday  in 
January,  transmit  to  the  secretary  of  the  commonwealth  a  report  to  the  general 
court  of  its  doings,  with  such  suggestions  as  to  the  condition  of  affairs  or 
conduct  of  corporations  and  companies  which  are  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
and  sale  of  gas  or  electricity  for  light  or  heat  as  may  be  appropriate,  with  such 
abstracts  of  the  returns  required  by  Section  Thirty-one  as  it  considers  expedient, 
and  an  abstract  of  the  accidents  reported  to  it  under  the  provisions  of  Section 
Thirty-nine. 

Section  8.  If  a  corporation  or  company  which  is  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  gas  or  electricity  for  light  or  heat  violates  or  neglects  to 
comply  with  the  provisions  of  law,  or  refuses  or  neglects  to  comply  with  any 
lawful  order  of  the  board,  the  board  shall  give  notice  thereof  in  writing  to  such 
corporation  or  company,  and  to  the  attorney  general  for  his  action. 

Section  9.  The  supreme  judicial  court  or  the  superior  court  shall  have 
jurisdiction  in  equity,  upon  the  application  of  said  board,  to  enforce  all  lawful 
orders  of  said  board  and  all  provisions  of  law  relative  to  cities,  towns,  cor- 
porations or  persons  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  gas  or  electricity 
for  light  or  heat. 

Section  10.  No  gas  company,  unless  specially  authorized,  shall  issue 
any  bonds  at  less  than  par  value,  nor  for  an  amount  exceeding  its  capital 
actually  paid  in  and  applied  to  the  purposes  of  its  incorporation. 

Section  33.  Upon  the  petition  in  writing  of  any  person  who  has  a  resi- 
dence or  place  of  business  in  a  city  or  town  in  which  a  corporation  or  company 
is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  gas  or  electricity  for  light  or  heat, 
and  who  is  aggrieved  by  the  refusal  or  neglect  of  such  corporation  or  company 
to  supply  him  with  gas  or  electricity,  the  board  of  gas  and  electric  light  com- 
missioners m\y,  after  notice  to  the  corporation  or  company  to  appear  at  a  time 
and  place  therein  named  to  show  cause  why  the  prayer  of  such  petition  should 
not  be  granted,  issue  an  order  directing  and  requiring  the  corporation  or  com- 
pany to  supply  the  petitioner  with  gas  for  either  of  said  purposes  or  with 
electric  light,  upon  such  terms  and  conditions  as  are  legal  and  reasonable. 

Section  34.  Upon  the  complaint  in  writing  of  the  mayor  of  a  city  or  the 
selectmen  of  a  town  in  which  a  corporation  or  company  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacture or  sale  of  gas  or  electricity  for  light  or  heat  is  located,  or  of  twenty 
customers  thereof,  either  of  the  quality  or  the  price  of  the  gas  or  electric  light 
sold  and  delivered,  the  board  shall  notify  the  corporation  or  company  by 
leaving  at  its  office  a  copy  of  such  complaint,  and  shall  thereupon  after  notice 
give  a  public  hearing  to  such  petitioner  and  such  corporation  or  company,  and 
after  said  hearing  may  order  any  reduction  in  the  price  of  gas  or  electric  light 


102 

or  imprcnerpert  In  quality  thereof,  and  a  report  of  such  proceedings  and  the 
result  thereof  shall  be  included  in  its  annual  report.  The  maximum  price 
fixed  by  such  order  shall  not  thereafter  be  increased  by  such  corporation  or 
company  except  as  provided  in  the  following  section. 

Section  35*  A  gas  company  in  this  commonwealth  which  furnishes  gas 
under  the  provisions  of  general  or  special  laws  or  of  any  contract  with  a  city  or 
town,  and  a  gas  or  electric  light  company  which  is  engaged  in  the.  sale  and 
delivery  of  electric  light  may  apply  to  the  board  to  fix  and  determine  the  price 
of  gas  or  electricity  to  be  thereafter  sold  and  delivered  by  said  company,  or  to 
revise  any  former  order  or  action  of  said  board  relative  to  the  quality  or  price 
thereof.  Said  board  shall,  after  notice,  give  a  public  hearing  to  the  petitioner, 
to  the  city  or  town  and  to  all  other  persons  interested,  and  thereafter  may  pass 
such  orders  relative  to  the  price  and  quality  of  gas  or  electricity  thereafter  to 
be  furnished  by  said  company  as  it  determines  are  just  and  reasonable.  Such 
orders  shall  be  binding  upon  all  parties  until  further  order  of  said  board. 

REGULATIONS  AS  TO  METER  TESTING. 

Section  8.  The  unit  of  measure  for  the  sale  of  illuminating  gas  by 
meter  shall  be  the  cubic  foot,  containing  sixty-two  and  three  hundred  and 
twenty-one  one-thousands  pounds  avoirdupois  weight  of  distilled  or  rain 
water,  weighed  in  air  of  a  temperature  of  sixty-two  degrees  on  the  Fahrenheit 
scale,  the  barometer  being  at  thirty  inches. 

Section  9.  Every  gas  light  company  with  a  capital  paid  in  of  $100,000 
or  more  and  every  maker  or  vendor  of  meters  shall  set  up  at  some  convenient 
place  upon  their  premises  a  gas  holder  containing  five  or  more  cubic  feet, 
which  shall  be  tested,  and,  if  correct,  stamped  and  sealed,  and  by  means  of 
which  meters  shall  be  tested  at  the  average  pressure  at  which  gas  is  supplied 
in  the  city  or  town  in  which  they  are  to  be  used,  attention  being  paid  to  the 
temperature  of  the  room  where  the  trial  is  made.  Every  gas  light  company 
shall  provide  a  test  meter,  of  a  construction  to  be  approved  by  the  inspect  r 
and  stamped  by  him,  which  shall  be  used  in  cities  or  towns  in  which  no  test 
gas  holders  are  provided,  or  if  proving  by  a  gas  holder  is  impracticable  or 
inconvenient.  In  the  examination  of  a  meter,  the  inspector  shall  see  that  it  is 
of  an  improved  principle,  shall  give  particular  attention  to  the  measure  of  the 
dial  plate  and  shall  prove  the  meter  when  set  level,  and  that  it  is  capable  of 
accurately  passing  gas  at  the  rate  of  six  cubic  feet  an  hour  for  each  burner 
which  the  manufacturer  has  stamped  it  to  register.  A  dry  meter  shall  not  I  e 
stamped  correct  if  it  varies  more  than  two  per  cent,  from  the  standard  measure, 
and  a  wet  meter  shall  not  be  stamped  correct  if  it  is  capable  of  registering 
more  than  two  per  cent,  against  the  consumer  or  more  than  five  per  cent, 
against  the  company.  The  inspector  shall  keep  at  his  office  a  correct  record 
of  all  meters  inspected  by  him,  with  their  proof  at  the  time  of  inspection, 
which  shall  be  open  at  all  times  for  examination  by  the  officers  of  any  gas 
light  company  in  the  Commonwealth. 

Section  10.  A  gas  company  providing  a  meter  for  measuring  gas  sup- 
plied to  a  consumer  which  has  not  been  duly  sealed  and  stamped  shall  be  pun- 
ished by  a  fine  of  five  dollars  ($5)  for  every  such  meter  in  use,  payable  to  the 
city  or  town  in  which  the  meter  is  situated. 


103 

Section  11.  Meters  in  use  shall  be  tested  by  the  inspector  or  one  of 
his  assistants  or  a  deputy,  on  the  request  of  the  consumer  or  of  the  gas  light 
company,  in  the  presence  of  the  consumer,  if  desired,  and  with  sealed  appa- 
ratus. If  he  finds  that  the  meter  is  correct,  the  person  requesting  the  inspec- 
tion shall  pay  the  fees — (NOTE. — These  fees  are  twenty-five  cents  for  each 
meter  delivering  not  more  than  a  cubic  foot  of  gas  in  four  revolutions,  vibra- 
tions or  complete  repetitions  of  its  action,  and  for  each  meter  so  delivering 
more  than  a  cubic  foot,  a  fee  of  thirty  cents,  with  twenty  cents  added  for  every 
additional  cubic  foot  so  delivered)— for  such  inspection  and  the  expense  of 
removing  the  meter  for  the  purpose  of  being  tested,  and  the  re-inspection 
shall  be  stamped  on  the  meter.  If  he  finds  that  the  meter  is  incorrect,  the  gas 
light  company  shall  pay  such  expenses  and  shall  furnish  a  new  meter  without 
charge  to  the  consumer. 

Section  12.  Meters  for  measuring  gas  supplied  to  consumers  shall  reg- 
ister the  quantity  of  gas  passing  through  them  in  cubic  feet,  so  that  the  num- 
ber of  cubic  feet  of  gas  consumed  can  be  easily  ascertained  by  the  consumer 
thereof.  No  meter  shall  be  used  which  may  confuse  or  deceive  the  consumer 
in  ascertaining  the  price  he  pays  per  one  thousand  cubic  feet  or  the  number  of 
cubic  feet  consumed.  No  charge  for  the  use  of  a  meter  during  any  portion  of 
twelve  consecutive  months  shall  be  made  if  the  consumer  during  said  time  uses 
gas  to  the  value  of  seven  ($7)  dollars. 

(NOTE. — The  law  also  provides  that  when  the  gas  of  any  company  is  found 
on  three  consecutive  inspections  to  give  less  light  than  sixteen  standard  English 
candles,  or  to  contain  more  than  twenty  grains  of  sulphur  or  ten  grains  of 
ammonia  per  hundred  cubic  feet  of  gas,  or  any  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  a  fine 
of  one  hundred  dollars  shall  be  paid  by  such  company  to  the  city  or  town 
supplied  by  it. 

See  Mr.  Barker's  remarks  in  the  discussion  on  the  paper  for  the  manner 
in  which  the  inspections  for  illuminating  value  and  purity  are  made  and  the 
manner  in  which  the  penalties  of  violations  of  this  portion  of  the  law  are 
collected.) 

CONNECTICUT  STATUTES — Revision  of  1902. 

Section  4569.  The  standard  measure  for  the  sale  of  illuminating  gas 
by  meter  shall  be  the  cubic  foot,  containing  sixty-two  and  three  hundred  and 
twenty  one  one-thousandths  pounds  avoirdupois  weight  of  distilled  or  rain 
water,  weighed  in  air  of  the  temperature  of  sixty-two  degrees  Fahrenheit,  the 
barometer  being  at  twenty-nine  and  one-half  inches;  and  no  such  gas  shall  be 
merchantable  unless  a  standard  argand  burner  consuming  five  cubic  feet  of  it  an 
hour  shall  give  a  light  as  measured  by  the  photometric  apparatus  in  ordinary 
use,  of  not  less  than  fifteen  standard  sperm  candles,  each  consuming  one 
hundred  and  twenty  grains  an  hour. 

Section  4570.  The  governor  shall  appoint  an  inspector-general  of  gas 
meters  and  illuminating  gas,  who  shall  be  a  resident  of  Hartford  or  New 
Haven,  and  shall  hold  office  for  three  years. 

Section  4571.  Said  inspector-general  shall  appoint  a  deputy  in  every 
town  and  city  where  gas  works  are  established,  when  requested  by  the  mayor 


104 

of  such  city,  the  selectmen  of  such  town,  or  the  warden  of  any  borough 
therein.  The  inspector-general  or  any  of  his  deputies  shall  inspect  and 
prove  the  accuracy  of  every  gas  meter  in  his  town  furnished  to  any  person  by 
a  manufacturer  of  gas,  at  the  request  of  any  consumer,  or  such  manufacturer. 
Such  inspection  shall  be  made  for  a  temperature  of  sixty  degrees  Fahrenheit 
and  at  the  average  pressure  at  which  gas  is  supplied  in  such  town,  and  he 
shall  stamp  or  mark  every  such  meter  found  not  to  vary  more  than  two  per 
cent,  from  the  standard,  with  some  suitable  device,  and  his  name  and  the  date 
of  its  inspection. 

Section  4572.  One  dollar  for  each  meter  so  inspected,  with  the  cost  of 
removing  and  replacing  it,  not  exceeding  fifty  cents,  shall  be  paid  to  the  officer 
inspecting  it,  if  it  be  found  to  be  correct,  by  the  consumer,  if  he  requested 
such  inspection,  otherwise  by  the  party  furnishing  the  gas. 

Section  4573.  The  inspector-general  and  his  deputy  shall  inspect 
monthly  the  quality  and  purity  of  illuminating  gas  furnished  in  his  town  or 
any  city  or  borough  therein,  if  requested  by  the  mayor  of  the  city,  warden  of 
the  borough,  or  selectmen  of  the  town,  and  report  to  them  the  result  of  such 
inspection,  for  which  he  shall  be  paid  five  dollars  by  the  town,  city  or  borough 
requesting  it.  When  any  gas  so  furnished  shall  be  found  upon  such  inspec- 
tion to  be  below  the  standard  value,  on  the  average,  for  the  quarter,  the 
person  furnishing  it  shall  make  a  deduction  in  favjr  of  the  consumer  from  the 
price  charged  for  gas  of  a  legal  standard,  proportioned  to  the  inferiority  of  the 
gas  as  reported  by  the  inspector. 

Section  4574,  Any  town,  city  or  borough,  having  a  gas  manufactory 
established  within  its  limits,  may  appropriate  a  sum  not  exceeding  three  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  purchase  of  proper  apparatus  to  test  gas  and  gas  meters, 
and  such  apparatus  may  be  used  by  the  inspector-general  or  by  his  deputies. 

Section  4575*  When  any  town,  city  or  borough,  shall  have  purchased 
apparatus  for  the  testing  of  gas,  as  provided  in  Section  4574,  the  inspector- 
general  or  his  deputies  shall  seal  every  meter  which  shall  be  found  not  to  vary 
more  than  two  per  cent,  from  the  standard  established  by  law,  and  if  any  party 
furnishing  gas  to  consumers  shall  neglect  or  refuse  to  furnish  such  con- 
sumers, after  request  made  in  writing,  with  meters  which  have  been  sealed  by 
the  inspector-general,  or  one  of  his  deputies,  within  thirty  days  after  demand 
made  by  such  consumer,  such  party  shall  forfeit  the  sum  of  ten  dollars  per 
month  to  any  person  who  shall  sue  therefor,  and  shall  not  be  entitled  to 
recover,  by  any  action,  for  any  gas  furnished  to  such  consumer  through  an 
unsealed  meter. 

NEW  YORK  STATUTES. 

Section  62.  The  governor  shall  nominate  and  by  and  with  the  consent 
of  the  Senate  appoint  an  inspector  of  gas  meters,  who  shall  have  an  office  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  whose  duty  it  shall  be,  when  required,  to  inspect, 
examine,  prove  and  ascertain  the  accuracy  of  any  and  all  gas  meters  used  or 
intended  to  be  used  for  measuring  or  ascertaining  the  quantity  of  illuminating 
or  fuel  gas  furnished  by  any  gas  corporation  in  this  State,  including  a  corpora- 
tion engaged  in  supplying  natural  gas  to  consumers,  to  or  for  the  use  of  any 
person  or  persons,  and,  when  found  to  be  or  made  correct,  to  seal,  stamp 


105 

or  mark  all  such  meters,  and  each  of  them,  with  some  suitable  device,  which 
device  shall  be  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State.  Such  inspector 
shall  hold  his  office  for  the  term  of  five  years  and  until  the  appointment  of  his 
successor,  but  may  be  removed  by  the  governor  for  sufficient  cause.  He  shall 
receive  an  annual  salary  of  five  thousand  dollars,  to  be  paid  in  the  first  instance 
out  of  the  State  treasury  on  the  warrant  of  the  comptroller,  which  shall  be 
charged  to  and  paid  into  the  state  treasury  by  the  several  gas  corporations  in 
this  State,  in  amounts  proportionate  to  the  amount  of  the  capital  stock  of  such 
corporations  respectively,  to  be  ascertained  and  assessed  by  the  comptroller  of 
the  State.  If  any  such  corporation  shall  refuse  or  neglect  to  pay  into  the  State 
treasury  the  amount  or  portion  of  such  salary  required  of  them  respectively, 
for  the  space  of  thirty  days  after  written  notice  given  it  by  the  comptroller  to 
make  such  payment,  then  the  comptroller  may  maintain  an  action,  in  his  name 
of  office,  against  any  such  delinquent  corporation  for  its  portion  or  amount  of 
such  salary,  with  interest  thereon  at  the  rate  of  ten  per  centum  per  annum 
from  the  time  when  such  notice  was  given  and  the  costs  of  the  action. 

Section  64-,  No  corporation  or  person  shall  furnish  or  put  in  use  any 
gas  meter,  which  shall  not  have  been  inspected,  proved  and  sealed  by  the 
inspector,  except  during  such  time  as  the  office  of  inspector  may  be  vacant,  or 
such  inspector  after  request  is  made,  shall  refuse  or  neglect  to  prove  and  seal  the 
meters  furnished  for  that  purpose,  and  every  gas-light  corporation  shall  pro- 
vide and  keep  in  and  upon  their  premises  a  suitable  and  proper  apparatus,  to 
be  approved  and  sealed  by  the  inspector  of  meters,  for  testing  and  proving  the 
accuracy  of  the  gas  meters  furnished  for  use  by  it,  and  by  which  apparatus 
every  meter  may  and  shall  be  tested,  on  the  written  request  of  the  consumer, 
to  whom  the  same  shall  be  furnished,  and  in  his  presence  if  he  desire  it.  If 
any  such  meter,  on  being  so  tested,  shall  be  found  defective  or  incorrect  to 
the  prejudice  or  injury  of  the  consumer,  the  necessary  removal,  inspection, 
correction  and  replacing  of  such  meter  shall  be  without,  expense  to  the  con- 
sumer, but  in  all  other  cases  he  shall  pay  the  reasonable  expenses  of  such 
removal,  inspection  and  replacing;  and  in  case  any  consumer  shall  not  be 
satisfied  with  such  inspection  of  the  meter  furnished  to  him,  and  shall  give  to 
the  corporation  written  notice  to  that  effect,  he  may  have  such  meter  re- 
inspected  by  the  State  inspector,  if  he  require  it,  upon  the  same  terms  and 
conditions  as  herein  provided  for  the  original  inspection  thereof. 

Section  70.  In  any  city  in  this  State  having  a  population  of  eight  hun- 
dred thousand  or  over,  no  corporation  or  person  shall  charge  for  illuminating 
gas  a  sum  to  exceed  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  thousand  feet,  and 
such  gas  shall  have  an  illuminating  power  of  not  less  than  twenty  sperm 
candles,  of  six  to  the  pound,  and  burning  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  grains  of  spermaceti  per  hour,  tested  at  a  distance  of  not  less  than  one 
mile  from  the  place  of  manufacture,  by  a  burner  consuming  five  cubic  feet  of 
gas  per  hour,  and  shall  comply  with  the  standard  of  purity  now  or  hereafter 
established  by  law,  but  in  any  district  or  ward  of  any  city  containing  over  one 
million  inhabitants,  which  district  or  ward  is  separated  from  the  main  portion 
thereof  by  a  stream  or  other  natural  boundary,  any  gas-light  corporation  may 
charge  a  price  not  to  exceed  one  dollar  and  sixty  cents  per  thousand  cubic 


106 

feet,  but  such  corporation  shall  not  charge  a  greater  price  in  the  city  where  its 
main  works  shall  be  situated  than  in  such  district  or  ward. 

NEW  JERSEY  STATUTES. 

Section  19.  That  the  meters  used  by  any  company,  organized  under 
this  Act,  shall  register  accurately  the  quantity  of  gas  passing  through  them, 
and  shall  register  the  quantity  of  gas  passing  through  them  in  cubic  feet, 
so  that  the  number  of  cubic  feet  of  gas  c  insumed  can  be  easily  ascer- 
tained by  the  consumer  of  such  gas ;  and  no  meter  shall  be  used  that  may 
confuse  or  deceive  the  consumer  as  to  the  number  of  cubic  feet  of  gas  he  has 
consumed,  or  as  to  the  price  he  pays  for  the  same,  per  thousand  cubic  feet;  and 
it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  any  company  organized  under  this  Act  to  charge  rent 
on  its  meters. 

27.  Section  1.  That  the  Eighteenth  Section  of  the  Act  to  which  this 
is  a  supplement,  which  reads  as  follows,  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  amended 
so  as  to  read  as  follows : 

(That  the  quality  of  gas  supplied  by  any  company  organized  under  this 
Act  shall  be,  with  respect  to  its  illuminating  powers,  such  as  to  produce  from 
an  English  parliamentary  standard  argand  burner,  known  as  the  London 
burner  for  sixteen-candle  gas,  consuming  five  cubic  feet  of  gas  an  hour,  a  light 
equal  in  intensity  to  the  light  produced  by  not  less  than  fourteen  sperm  candles 
of  six  to  the  pound,  each  burning  one  hundred  and  twenty  grains  an  hour ;  and 
such  gas  shall,  with  respect  to  its  purity,  be  so  far  free  from  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  that  it  shall  not  discolor  paper  imbued  with  acetate  of  lead,  when 
these  tests  are  exposed  to  a  current  of  gas,  issuing  for  thirty  seconds,  under  a 
pressure  of  five-tenths  of  water;  and  shall  not  contain  more  than  one  per  cent, 
of  carbonic  oxide  gas,  nor  more  than  ten  per  cent,  of  hydrogen  gas,  under  a 
penalty  of  one  hundred  dollars  a  day  for  each  and  every  day  that  the  gas  sup- 
plied is  not  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  this  Act,  to  be  sued  for  and 
recovered,  with  costs  of  suit,  on  complaint,  in  any  court  of  competent  jurisdic- 
tion ;  the  one-half  of  such  penalty  to  be  paid  into  the  treasury  and  for  the 
use  of  the  town  or  city  where  the  works  of  such  company  are  located,  the  other 
half  to  the  complainant.) 

CALIFORNIA  STATUTES. 

Section  1.  That  in  all  cities  in  the  State  of  California  having  a  population 
of  one  hundred  thousand  or  more,  the  local  legislative  body  thereof,  whether 
known  and  designated  as  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  or  Board  of  Aldermen,  or 
Common  Council,  or  Board  of  Trustees,  or  otherwise,  are  hereby  authorized 
and  required  to  fix  the  standard  quality  and  illuminating  power  of  gas  to  be 
furnished,  and  the  rate  and  price  for  each  one  thousand  cubic  feet  to  be  charged 
therefor,  by  any  person,  company,  or  corporation  whose  pipes  or  mains  are  or 
shall  be  laid  down  in  the  streets  or  highways  of  such  city,  for  the  purpose  of 
supplying  gas  for  the  use  of  such  city,  or  for  the  inhabitants  thereof,  or  for  such 
city  and  its  inhabitants;  provided,  however,  that  said  Board  or  local  authority 
shall  not  fix  or  establish  the  standard  quality  and  illuminating  power  of  gas  in 
such  city  at  less  than  sixteen-candle  power,  or  such  that  five  cubic  feet  of  gas 
per  hour  so  furnished  shall  give  light  at  least  equal  to  that  afforded  by  the 


107 

combustion  of  sixteen  standard  sperm  candles  consuming  one  hundred  and 
twenty  grains  of  sperm  each  per  hour,  the  burner  to  be  used  in  making  such 
test  to  be  that  best  adapted  to  the  economical  consumption  of  gas ;  and  provided 
further,  that  such  Board  of  Supervisors,  or  local  legislative  authority,  by 
whatever  name  it  may  be  known,  shall  not  fix  or  establish  the  rate  or  price  of 
gas  so  furnished  to  such  city  or  its  inhabitants  at  any  greater  price  or  rate  than 
three  dollars  per  thousand  cubic  feet. 

Section  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Mayor  of  each  city  having  the 
population  mentioned  in  Section  One  of  this  Act,  and  such  Mayor  is  hereby 
required,  within  thirty  days  after  the  passage  and  approval  of  this  Act,  to 
appoint,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  or  other  local 
legislative  body  aforesaid,  a  person  of  competent  experience  and  knowledge 
of  and  concerning  the  proper  qualities  and  illuminating  power  of  gas,  and  who 
shall  not  be  directly  or  indirectly  interested  in  or  connected  with  any  person, 
company,  or  corporation,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  or  furnishing  of  illumin- 
ating gas  in  such  city  or  elsewhere,  either  to  such  city  or  its  inhabitants,  or 
any  of  them,  either  as  a  stockholder  or  otherwise,  who  shall  be  known  and 
designated  as  Gas  Inspector  of  such  city,  who  shall  hold  his  said  office  for  the 
term  of  two  years,  or  until  his  successor  shall  be  appointed  and  qualified ; 
subject,  however,  to  removal  from  his  said  office  by  the  Mayor,  with  the  con- 
currence of  a  majority  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  or  other  local  legislative 
board  aforesaid,  for  any  one  of  the  following  causes,  to  wit:  by  reason  of  any 
interest  in  the  manufacture  or  furnishing  of  gas  in  such  city,  whether  such 
interest  existed  at  the  date  of  his  appointment  or  was  afterward  acquired,  or  for 
want  of  competent  knowledge,  skill,  or  experience  to  enable  him  properly  to 
discharge  the  duties  of  said  office,  or  for  any  neglect,  misconduct,  or  inefficiency 
in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  said  office,  to  the  prejudice  of  such  city,  or  its 
inhabitants  or  any  of  them.  The  person  so  appointed  shall,  before  he  enters 
upon  the  duties  of  said  office,  and  within  ten  days  after  his  appointment  and 
confirmation,  take  and  subscribe  an  oath  or  affirmation  before  the  County  Judge 
of  the  County  in  which  such  city  is  situated,  that  he  will  faithfully  and 
impartially  perform  and  discharge  all  the  duties  required  by  this  Act  and  the 
ordinances  or  resolutions  of  said  Board  passed  or  adopted  under  and  pursuant 
to  the  provisions  thereof,  as  such  Gas  Inspector  of  such  city,  and  shall  also, 
within  the  same  time,  give  bond  to  the  city  in  and  for  which  he  is  appointed, 
in  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  with  sureties  to  be  approved  by  said  Board, 
conditioned  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  duties  of  said  office,  which  said 
oath  and  bond  shall  be  filed  with  the  Clerk  of  said  Board.  Such  Gas  Inspector 
shall  be  entitled  to  a  salary  to  be  fixed  and  allowed  by  said  Board,  which  shall 
be  paid  monthly  out  of  the  general  fund  of  such  city. 

Section  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  such  Inspector,  immediately  upon  his 
appointment  and  qualification  as  such  officer  as  aforesaid,  to  make  a  careful 
examination  and  inquiry,  by  inspection,  letter,  or  otherwise,  as  to  the  quality 
and  illuminating  power  of  the  gas  furnished  and  used  in  the  principal  cities  of 
the  United  States,  and  the  prices  charged  therefor,  and  also  the  comparative 
cost  of  the  manufacture  and  supply  of  gas  in  other  cities  of  the  United  States, 
with  the  cost  of  the  manufacture  and  supply  of  the  same  in  the  city  for  which 


108 

he  is  such  inspector,  and  report  fully  the  result  of  such  examination  and  infor- 
mation to  said  Board  within  six  months  after  his  appointment  and  qualification ; 
and  upon  receiving  such  reports,  said  Board  shall  proceed  to  fix  and  establish 
the  quality  and  standard  illuminating  power  of  gas  to  be  used  in  such  city,  and 
the  maximum  price  to  be  charged  therefor ;  and  such  standard  and  price  may 
be  changed  by  said  Board  from  time  to  time,  not  oftener  than  once  every  year, 
as  increased  consumption  or  other  circumstances  may  in  their  judgment 
require. 

Section  4.  After  said  Board  shall  have  fixed  and  established  the  quality 
and  illuminating  power  and  the  price  of  gas,  as  hereinbefore,  it  shall  be  the 
duty  of  such  Inspector  to  examine  and  inspect,  from  time  to  time,  at  least  once 
every  week,  without  notice  to  the  person,  company,  or  corporation  furnishing 
the  same,  the  quality  and  illuminating  power  of  the  gas  furnishe'd  to  such  city 
and  the  inhabitants  thereof,  and  in  case  the  same  shall  fall  below  the  standard 
fixed  by  said  Board,  the  said  Inspector  shall  forthwith  report  the  same  to  said 
Board;  and  at  such  other  times  as  he  may  be  requested  thereto  by  the  Mayor 
or  any  committee  of  said  Board,  he  shall  report  to  said  Board  upon  any  and  all 
matters  connected  with  the  manufacture,  supply  and  consumption  of  gas 
coming  within  the  scope  of  his  official  duties,  and  specially  upon  any  subject 
or  subjects,  matters  or  things  connected  therewith  and  specified  in  such 
request. 

Section  5.  After  said  Board  shall  have  fixed  and  established  the  quality 
and  standard  and  illuminating  power  of  the  gas,  and  the  price  per  thousand 
cubic  feet,  as  in  this  Act  provided  to  be  charged  therefor,  it  shall  be  unlawful 
for  any  person,  company,  or  corporation  to  furnish  to  such  city,  or  any  inhabi- 
tant thereof,  or  other  person  therein,  for  illuminating  purposes,  gas  of  a  lower 
standard  or  quality,  or  to  charge  or  to  receive  therefor  a  higher  price  than  is 
provided  by  said  Board,  under  the  authority  and  subject  to  the  limitations  of 
this  Act;  and  for  every  violation  of  the  provisions  of  this  Act,  or  the  pro- 
visions of  any  order,  resolution  or  ordinance  of  said  Board  made  in  pursuance 
thereof,  every  such  person,  company,  or  corporation  shall  incur  a  penalty  of 
not  less  than  one  hundred  nor  more  than  one  thousand  dollars,  to  be  recovered 
in  a  civil  action  in  the  name  and  for  the  use  of  such  city,  in  any  Court  of 
competent  jurisdiction;  and  each  day  upon  which  such  person,  company,  or 
corporation  shall,  without  reasonable  cause  or  excuse  therefor,  furnish  gas  of 
a  lower  quality  or  standard  illuminating  power  than  that  fixed  by  said  Board, 
shall  constitute  and  be  considered  and  held  one  violation  thereof,  and  each 
month  or  shorter  period  for  which  said  person,  company  or  corporation  shall 
take  an  account  of  gas  consumed,  and  for  which  they  shall  charge  or  receive  a 
price  greater  than  that  fixed  by  said  Board,  shall  be  held  and  regarded  as  one 
offense,  and  any  number  of  such  offenses  of  either  class,  or  both,  may  be  joined 
in  the  same  action,  and  the  several  penalties  for  the  several  violations  proved 
or  confessed  in  said  action  may  be  united  and  recovered  in  the  same  judgment; 
and  such  person,  company  or  corporation  shall  also  be  liable  to  such  city  and 
to  any  and  each  person  or  corporation  who  shall  be  injured  by  any  such  viola- 
tion, in  double  the  amount  of  damages  actually  sustained. 


109 

CITY    REGULATIONS. 
CHICAGO  STATUTES. 

INSPECTOR    OF    GAS    METERS    AND    GAS. 

798.  Office  created— appointment.]     There   is   hereby    created    the 
office  of  inspector  of  gas  meters  and  gas,  who  shall  be  appointed  by  the  mayor 
by  and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  city  council. 

799.  Bond.]     He  shall,  before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office, 
execute  a  bond  to  the  city  of  Chicago,  in  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  with 
such  sureties  as  the  city  council  shall  approve,   conditioned  for  the  faithful 
performance  of  the  duties  of  his  office. 

800.  Duty  to  test  meters.]     It  shall  be  the  duty  of   such  inspector 
to  examine  and  test  any  gas  meters  furnished   to  the  consumer  by  any  gas 
company  furnishing  gas  in  this  city,  whenever  requested   so  to  do  by  such 
consumer. 

801.  Notice  of  test  ]     The  inspector  shall  in  every  case  give  notice 
to  the  consumer,  and  also  to  the  gas  company  at  its  office,  of  the  time  and  place 
when  and  where  he  intends  to  teot  the  meter. 

802.  Inspection  conclusive.]     The   inspection   herein   provided    for 
shall  be  conclusive,  both  upon   the   company  and  the   consumer,    as  to  the 
amount  of  gas  consumed  three  months  before  the  close  of  the  month  in  which 
any  meter  shall  be  inspected. 

803.  Fees.]     Any  person,   firm  or  corporation  desiring  the  inspection 
of  a  gas  meter  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago,   shall  pay  the  sum  of 
two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  to  the  city  collector  and  obtain  his  receipt  therefor, 
which  receipt  shall  describe  the  location  of  the  gas  meter  to  be  inspected,  and 
this   receipt  when  presented  to  the  inspector  of  gas  meters  and  gas  at  his 
office,    shall   be   his    authority  for  making  the  inspection   therein  described. 
Such  sum  of  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  shall,  however,  be  refunded  by  the  gas 
company,  upon  presentation  to  its  treasurer,  of  the  inspector's  certificate  that 
the  meter  has  been  found  by  him  to  measure   more  gas    than  was   actually 
consumed. 

A  copy  of  this  Section  shall  be  printed  on  the  back  of  each  certificate 
issued  by  the  gas  inspector. 

804.  Certificate.]     The  inspector  shall,  when  so  requested  by  either 
party,  furnish  to  the  consumer  or  the  gas  company,  free  of  charge,  a  certificate 
of  the  result  of  the  examination  made  by  him,  of  any  meter. 

827.  .  .  .  Manufactured  Gas  .  .  .  shall  afford  a  light  of  not  less 
than  twenty  candle-power,  to  be  measured  and  ascertained  at  the  place  of 
consumption  in  said  city  by  the  most  modern  appliances  known  to  science 
for  measuring  the  candle-power  of  illuminating  gas. 

PHILADELPHIA. 

(Extract   from   the   agreement   between    the   City   of  Philadelphia   and   The 

United   Gas  Improvement  Company.) 

"  The  United  Gas  Improvement  Company,  or  its  assigns,  shall  furnish 
proper  stations  for  testing  the  candle-power  of  the  gas,  located  at  a  distance  of 


110 

not  less  than  one  mile  from  each  point  of  manufacture,  and  shall  equip  the 
same  with  a  bar  photometer  and  other  appliances  customary  and  necessary  for 
such  purposes.  Tests  shall  be  made  and  recorded  daily  by  The  United  Gas 
Improvement  Company,  or  its  assigns,  and  such  records  shall  at  all  times  be 
open  to  the  inspection  of  the  City. 

"All  such  tests  shall  be  made  in  the  presence  of  a  representative  of  the 
City,  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  who  shall  have  the  right  to  also  make  such 
tests  himself  at  such  stations,  in  the  presence  of  the  company's  representative  ; 
such  representative  of  the  City  shall  be  Inspector  of  Meters,  if  City  Councils 
shall  provide  by  this  contract  or  otherwise  for  the  appointment  of  such  an 
official.  The  said,  The  United  Gas  Improvement  Company,  its  successors 
or  assigns,  shall,  as  soon  after  the  delivery  to  them  of  said  gas  works 
hereunder,  as  it  is  possible  with  due  diligence  and  dispatch,  supply  gas  of  good 
quality,  of  not  less  than  -twenty-two  cindle-power  daily  average,  tested  as 
above,  and  maintain  said  supply  during  the  continuance  of  this  lease,  unless 
prevented  by  accidents  beyond  their  control.  After  the  expiration  of  two 
years  from  date  of  this  lease,  for  every  failure  of  The  United  Gas  Improve- 
ment Company,  its  successors  or  assigns,  to  comply  with  the  terms  and  condi- 
tions of  this  clause,  relative  to  tests,  quality  and  candle-power,  the  said,  The 
United  Gas  Improvement  Company,  its  successors  and  assigns,  shall  pay  to 
the  City  of  Philadelphia  a  penalty  of  five  hundred  ($500)  dollars  for  each  day 
during  which  such  failure  continues.  In  every  case  of  such  default  and 
demand  made  by  the  City  for  the  payment  of  the  fine,  The  United  Gas 
Improvement  Company,  its  successors  or  assigns,  shall  make  payment  of  the 
fine  to  *he  City,  but  said,  The  United  Gas  Improvement  Company,  its  suc- 
cessors or  assigns,  shall  be  entitled  to  repayment  of  the  same  by  the  City  if  it 
shall  be  shown  that  the  default  on  account  of  which  the  fine  was  imposed  was 
due  to  causes  beyond  the  control  of  the  said,  The  United  Gas  Improvement 
Company,  its  successors  or  assigns. 

"  The  City  of  Philadelphia  shall  have  the  right  at  all  times,  by  its  proper 
officers,  during  the  continuance  of  this  lease,  to  enter  upon  and  examine  the 
premises  leased,  to  inspect  the  same  and  to  test  the  candle-power  of  the  gas. 
Full  facilities  for  these  purposes  shall  be  afforded  by  the  lessee." 

"  In  order  to  provide  for  the  amicable  settlement  of  any  disputes  or  dis- 
agreements which  may  arise  between  the  consumers  and  said,  The  United  Gas 
Improvement  Company,  or  its  assigns,  as  to  the  amount  of  gas  for  which  bill 
has  been  rendered  and  payment  demanded,  the  correctness  of  which  is  disputed 
by  the  c  >nsumer,  said,  The  United  Gas  Improvement  Company  agrees,  for 
itself  and  for  its  successors  and  assigns,  that  it  will  provide  a  proper  and  con- 
venient place  or  places  on  the  leased  property  at  which  its  meters  may  be 
inspected  with  a  proper  and  customary  apparatus  therefor,  for  the  use  of  the 
oTicial  and  his  assistants  who  may  be  appointed  by  the  Mayor  as  Inspector  of 
Meters.  Upon  complaint  of  any  consumer  doubting  the  accuracy  of  the  bill 
and  declining  to  pay  the  same,  lodged  with  such  inspector,  alleging  that  the 
amount  of  gas  for  which  the  bill  has  been  rendered  and  payment  demanded  is 
in  excess  of  the  amount  consumed  by  such  consumer,  and  upon  demand  there- 
after made  by  the  inspector  in  writing  to  The  United  Gas  Improvement  Com- 
pany, or  its  assigns,  said,  The  United  Gas  Improvement  Company,  or  its 


Ill 

assigns,  shall  disconnect  the  meter  in  question  and  deliver  it  to  the  inspection 
station  for  examination,  where  the  testing  of  the  meter  for  the  purpose  of 
ascertaining  the  correctness  of  its  measurements  shall  be  made  by  such 
inspector,  in  the  presence  of  the  representative  of  the  said,  The  United  Gas 
Improvement  Company,  or  its  assigns. 

"Such  tests  shall  be  macie  according  to  the  established  and  well-known 
methods  used  for  such  purposes.  Any  sucn  meter  shall  be  disconnected  by 
said  company,  or  its  assigns,  between  the  hours  of  eight  o'clock  A.  M.  and 
three  o'clock  P.  M.,  within  forty-eight  hours  of  the  time  when  said  company, 
or  its  assigns,  shall  receive  notice  to  disconnect  such  meter  for  such  reasons, 
and  the  same  shall  be  tested  and  returned  to  the  said,  The  United  Gas 
Improvement  Company,  or  its  assigns,  within  twenty-four  hours  from  its 
receipt  at  the  testing  station,  bearing  a  seal  upon  which  shall  be  written  the 
report  of  the  inspector  that  the  meter  in  question  is  correct  or  incorrect;  and 
if  the  latter,  the  percentage  which  it  runs  fast  or  slow,  and  the  bill  of  the  con- 
sumer about  which  the  complaint  has  been  made  shall  be  corrected  according 
to  such  findings  and  report  of  the  inspector.  Such  Inspector  of  Meters  and 
such  assistants  as  the  Mayor  shall  deem  necessary  shall  be  appointed  by  the 
Mayor  and  shall  be  duly  sworn  in  conformity  with  the  law  to  faithfully,  hon- 
estly and  diligently  perform  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices. 

"  Said,  The  United  Gas  Improvement  Com  any  agrees  for  itself  and  its 
successors  and  assigns,  that  it  will  annually  and  at  the  beginning  of  each  year 
of  the  lease,  to  pay  to  the  City  of  Philadelphia  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars ($10,000)  toward  paying  the  salaries  and  the  expenses  of  the  Inspector  of 
Meters  and  his  assistants,  after  the  same  shall  be  appointed  in  pursuance  of 
this  clause,  and  also  toward  defraying  the  expenses  which  the  City  may  be 
put  to  in  connection  with  tests  of  gas,  made  in  pursuance  of  Clause  9  of 
this  lease. 

"  When  a  meter  is  removed  for  the  purpose  of  testing,  the  said  company 
shall  place  a  meter  in  place  of  one  removed  at  their  own  cost  and  expense,  the 
object  being  that  no  consumer  shall  be  without  light.  The  type  of  meter  used 
for  measurement  of  gas  shall  be  such  type  as  shall  be  in  general  use  in  other 
large  cities  of  the  United  States. 

"Any  consumer  desiring  such  test  shall,  on  making  his  application  to  such 
inspector,  pay  to  him  the  sum  of  one  dollar  ($i),  taking  his  receipt  therefor, 
which  amount  shall  be  returned  to  the  consumer  if  the  tests  and  reports  of  the 
inspector  shall  show  that  the  meter  in  question  is  fast;  but  otherwise  shall  be 
paid  by  the  inspector  into  the  treasury  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia.  Bills 
shall  not  be  rendered  more  frequently  than  are  now  rendered  to  various 
classes  of  consumers." 

BAI/TIMORE. 
EXTRACTS    FROM    LAWS    GOVERNING   THE   INSPECTION  OF  GAS  METERS. 

Section  6.  Article  28.  "  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Superintendent  of 
Lamps  and  Lighting  whenever  required  in  writing,  and  on  the  pre-payment  of 
a  fee  hereinafter  specified,  to  inspect,  examine,  test,  prove  and  ascertain  the 
accuracy  of  the  registration  of  any  and  all  gas  meters,  used  or  intended  to  be 
used  for  measuring  or  determining  the  quantity  of  carburetted  hydrogen  or 


112 

illuminating  gas,  consumed  by  any  person  or  persons  in  this  city;  and  when 
proved  to  be  or  made  correct  within  the  meaning  of  this  ordinance,  to  stamp, 
seal  or  mark  all  such  meters,  and  each  one  of  them,  with  some  appropriate, 
distinct  and  intelligible  device,  to  be  approved  by  the  Mayor." 

Section  8.  Article  28.  "  He  shall  inspect  and  prove  the  gas  meter 
Of  any  consumer,  at  his  written  request,  and  fci  his  presence  if  he  so  desire, 
upon  the  payment  in  advance  to  him  of  the  sum  of  one  dollar  for  each  and 
every  meter  removed  from  the  premises,  proved,  tested,  sealed  and  replaced; 
and  if  any  meter  on  being  so  tested  shall  be  found  to  register  inaccurately  as 
defined  by  this  Section  to  the  injury  of  the  consumer,  the  fee  paid  by  said  con- 
sumer shall  be  returned,  and  a  like  amount  shall  be  paid  to  the  inspector  and 
sealer  by  the  gas  company,  person  or  persons  whose  manufacture  of  gas  has 
been  consumed,  as  a  renumeration  for  the  removal,  testing,  correcting, 
sealing  and  replacing  of  such  meters,  and  every  such  meter  shall  be  con- 
sidered correct,  and  sealed  accordingly,  which  shall  register  quantities  varying 
from  the  true  standard  measure  of  gas  if  not  more  than  two  per  centum  in 
favor  of  either  the  company  or  the  consumer;  the  apparatus  used  by  the 
inspector  and  the  mode  of  testing  practised  by  him  to  be  approved  by  the 
Mayor;  and  in  all  cases  in  which  an  appeal  from  his  decision  as  to  the  accuracy 
of  any  meter  tested  shall  be  made,  such  case  shall  be  referred  to  and  adjudged 
by  a  suitable  person  to  be  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  and  whose  decision  shall  be 
final." 

Section  10.  Article  28.  "  It  shall  not  be  lawful  for  any  new  meter  to 
be  furnished  or  put  in  use  in  this  city  by  any  gas  company  which  shall  not  have 
been  previously  proved  to  be  correct  and  sealed  by  the  Superintendent  of 
Lamps  and  Lighting,  except  during  such  time  as  from  any  cause  the  office 
shall  be  vacant,  or  shall,  after  request  made,  refuse  or  neglect  to  prove,  and 
if  correct,  seal  the  meters  furnished  at  his  office  by  any  gas  company  for  that 
purpose;  and  for  said  proving  and  sealing  the  company  shall  pay  said  officer 
the  sum  of  twenty-five  cents  for  each  and  every  new  meter  so  proved  and 
sealed  as  aforesaid ;  any  gas  company  convicted  before  a  justice  of  the  peace 
of  violation  of  the  provision  of  this  Section  shall  forfeit  the  sum  of  ten 
dollars,  and  further  sum  of  five  dollars  for  each  and  every  day  that  such  meters 
are  allowed  to  be  continued  in  use  after  notice  ordering  its  discontinuance 
has  been  served  upon  such  company  by  him." 

Section  12.  Article  28.  "  It  shall  not  be  lawful  for  any  gas  company 
to  put  in  use  in  the  City  of  Baltimore,  any  gas  meter  which  shall  have  beer- 
discontinued,  or  any  meter  that  has  been  in  use  of  any  other  consumer,  unless 
the  same  has  been  re-inspected  and  re-stamped  by  the  Superintendent  of 
Lamps  and  Sealer  and  Inspector  of  Gas  Meters ;  any  gas  company  convicted 
before  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  the  violation  of  the  provisions  of  this  Section, 
shall  forfeit  the  sum  of  ten  dollars,  and  the  further  sum  of  five  dollars  for 
each  and  every  day  that  each  of  said  meters  is  allowed  to  be  continued  in  use, 
after  a  notice  has  been  served  upon  such  gas  company  by  him." 

EXTRACTS  FROM  LAWS  GOVERNING  THE  INSPECTION  OF  GAS. 

Section  842.  Baltimore  City  Code  of  1893.  "The  illuminating  gas- 
furnished  by  any  such  corporation  or  person  shall  have  an  illuminating  power  of 


113 

not  less  than  twenty  sperm  candles  of  six  to  the  pound,  and  burning  at  the  rate 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  grains  of  spermaceti  per  hour,  tested  at  a  distance 
of  not  less  than  one  mile  from  the  place  of  manufacture  by  a  burner  consum- 
ing five  cubic  feet  of  gas  per  hour,  and  shall,  as  regards  purity,  comply  with 
the  standard  now  or  hereafter  established  by  law." 

Section  '23.  Article  28.  Baltimore  City  Code.  "  If  the  illuminating 
gas  supplied  by  any  gas  company,  person  or  persons,  for  public  use  in  the 
City  of  Baltimore,  shall  be  at  any  time  of  less  illuminating  power  or  of  less 
parity  than  according  to  the  standard  established  by  Section  342,  it  shall  be  so 
reported  by  the  inspector,  and  the  company,  person  or  persons  supplying  the 
same  shall  be  subject  to  a  penalty  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  each  and  every 
day  during  which  such  violation  shall  continue;  provided,  however,  that  if  it 
shall  appear  that  such  deviation  from  the  above-named  standard  could  not 
have  been  prevented  by  ordinary  care  and  prudence,  but  was  occasioned  by 
some  unavoidable  cause,  then  the  said  penalty  shall  not  be  enforced  while 
such  unavoidable  cause  shall  continue." 

ST.    lyOUIS. 

Section  346.  Meter— when  to  be  tested.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
Supervisor  of  City  Lighting,  upon  the  written  request  of  any  gas  consumer 
to  have  the  meter  supplying  him  with  gas  tested,  to  call  at  the  residence  or 
place  of  business  of  the  consumer,  and  disconnect  the  meter  from  the  service 
pipe  of  the  gas  company  supplying  gas  through  the  said  meter,  and  bring  the 
same  to  the  place  for  testing  meters,  and  the  said  supervisor  shall  thereupon 
prove  and  test  the  meter  to  ascertain  its  accuracy;  and,  in  the  event  of  the 
meter  proving  accurate  within  the  meaning  of  this  chapter,  the  consumer  is 
required  to  pay  to  the  Supervisor  the  sum  of  one  dollar  for  such  inspection. 
The  Supervisor  shall  give  a  receipt  therefor,  countersigned  by  the  City  Reg- 
ister, and  pay  such  collections  every  Saturday  of  each  week  into  the  city  treas- 
ury. And  if  the  meter  prove  incorrect,  the  consumer  is  to  be  at  no  expense 
for  the  said  testing;  and  the  Supervisor  is  thereupon  required  to  immediately 
notify  the  gas  company  of  the  inspection,  in  writing,  stating  the  percentage  of 
inaccuracy,  and  order  the  placing  of  a  correct  meter  in  place  of  the  one  proving 
incorrect ;  and  any  refusal  or  neglect  to  do  so  within  twenty-four  hours  after 
receiving  due  notice,  shall  be  deemed  a  misdemeanor,  and  upon  conviction, 
said  company  shall  be  fined  ten  dollars. 

Section  347.  Supervisor— duties  of.  It  shall  also  be  his  duty  to 
inspect,  test  and  determine  the  purity  and  illuminating  power  of  the  illuminat- 
ing gas  furnished  by  any  gas  company,  person  or  persons  in  this  city  to  con- 
sumers, and  to  report  to  the  Mayor  at  least  once  in  each  week,  in  writing,  the 
condition  of  said  gas  as  to  purity  and  illuminating  power.  He  shall  make  his. 
test  daily,  and  in  case  of  failure  to  supply  gas  by  any  gas  company  according 
to  the  terms  of  contract  entered  into  by  the  city,  under  any  ordinance,  he 
shall  notify,  in  writing,  the  Mayor  and  the  company  so  failing;  and  in  case  of 
failure  for  three  consecutive  days  to  furnish  gas  of  the  standard  required  by 
contract  under  any  ordinance,  he  shall  collect  from  the  company  so  failing, 
after  giving  the  respective  company  notice  in  writing  on  each  day  of  said  fail- 
ure, the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  such  third  day  and  each 


114 

succeeding  day  until  the  gas  is  of  the  standard  and  quality  provided  for  in  said 
contract,  and  pay  the  same  to  the  City  Treasurer,  taking  triplicate  receipts  for 
the  same,  filing  one  in  the  Comptroller's  Office  and  one  in  the  Auditor's  Office. 
In  case  of  failure  to  supply  illuminating  gas  according  to  the  standard  pro- 
vided by  any  contract  occasioned  by  some  unavoidable  accident,  the  penalty 
provided  for  in  this  Section  shall  not  be  enforced,  but  no  such  penalty  shall  be 
remitted  until  satisfactory  proof  shall  be  furnished  by  said  gas  company  to 
the  Mayor  that  such  accident  was  not  caused  through  any  negligence  on  the 
part  of  said  company,  and  was  of  such  character  as  to  render  said  failure 
unavoidable. 

Section  349.    Meters  t«  be  sealed  and  stamped.    Hereafter  no 

new  meter  shall  be  set  or  put  in  use  without  first  being  sealed  and  stamped  as 
provided  by  this  chapter  ;  and,  furthermore,  from  the  date  of  said  Supervisor's 
entry  upon  the  duties  ot  his  office  no  meter  whatever  shall  be  sent  from  any 
gas  company  without  the  seal  and  stamp  of  the  Supervisor  thereon;  and  the 
Supervisor  is  hereby  required  to  examine  and  test  any  meter  sent  to  the  place 
of  testing  by  any  gas  company  at  the  rate  of  a  dozen  meters  within  twenty-four 
hours  free  of  charge  therefor,  and  seal  and  stamp  the  same  if  found  correct ; 
and  any  gas  company  using  such  meters  without  being  sealed  and  stamped  by 
said  Supervisor  as  aforesaid,  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and 
shall,  on  conviction  thereof,  be  fined  five  dollars  for  each  day  that  such  meter 
has  been  used. 

Section  350.    Difference  in  registration  to  be  adjusted.    Any 

difference  in  the  registration  of  the  meters  between  the  consumers  and  the 
gas  companies  shall  be  promptly  adjusted  by  said  companies  upon  the  written 
statement  of  the  Supervisor.  When  a  meter  is  found  to  register  inaccurately 
the  gas  company  is  required  to  make  the  proper  reduction  according  to  the 
percentage  of  inaccuracy  upon  the  amount  charged  in  last  bill. 

Section  351.  Meters— law  regulating  accuracy.  The  law  regu- 
lating the  accuracy  of  meters  shall  be  as  follows:  All  meters  registering 
within  one  per  cent,  of  exactness,  or  not  ranging  more  than  two  cubic  feet  in 
every  one  hundred  cubic  feet  registered,  shall  be  considered  accurate. 

Section  352.  Meters— number  of  to  be  registered.  It  shall  be  the 
duty  of  said  Supervisor  to  enter  into  a  book  the  number  of  meters  inspected, 
proved,  sealed  or  condemned  by  him,  and  also  the  name  of  the  manufacturer, 
and  he  shall  make  full  reports  of  all  the  operations  of  his  office  semi-annual ly 
to  the  Mayor  and  Municipal  Assembly  at  the  beginning  of  each  regular 
session,  and  oftener  if  required. 

Section  353.    Seals— penalty  for  counterfeiting  or  defacing.    If 

any  person  or  persons  shall  counterfeit  or  willfully  deface  the  seal  placed  upon 
any  gas  meter  by  the  Supervisor,  the  person  or  persons  so  offending  shall  be 
guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  shall,  upon  conviction  thereof,  be  fined  not  less 
than  twenty-five  dollars  nor  more  than  one  hundred  dollars. 

CLEVELAND. 

Section  392.  Upon  the  written  application  of  any  consumer  of  gas 
within  the  city,  made  to  the  Director  of  Public  Works  and  accompanied  by  an 


115 

inspection  fee  of  one  dollar,  the  Inspector  of  Gas  shall  inspect  and  determine 
the  correctness  of  any  gas  meter  designated  in  such  application.  Upon  the 
receipt  of  such  consumer's  application  and  fee,  the  Director  of  Public  Works 
shall  require  the  gas  company  owning  such  meter  to  forthwith  disconnect  and 
remove  the  same  under  the  supervision  of  the  Inspector  of  Gas  to  the  laboratory 
of  said  inspector,  and,  if  necessary,  supply  such  consumer  with  another  meter 
for  use  during  the  time  required  for  such  inspection ;  and  if  upon  such  inspec- 
tion the  said  inspector  shall  find  such  meter  "  fast,"  or  that  the  same  registers 
a  greater  volume  of  gas  than  actually  passes  it,  the  said  inspection  fee  shall  be 
returned  to  the  person  making  the  application,  and  in  such  event  the  gas  com- 
pany furnishing  the  gas  to  such  meter  shall  pay  into  the  City  Treasury,  upon 
demand  of  the  Director  of  Public  Works,  the  sum  of  fifty  cents;  provided, 
that  if  upon  such  inspection  the  meter  so  inspected  shall  be  found  to  register 
no  greater  volume  of  gas  than  actually  passes  it,  the  said  inspection  fee  of  one 
dollar  shall  be  paid  by  the  said  director  into  the  City  Treasury,  and  to  the 
credit  of  a  fund  hereby  created,  to  be  known  as  the  gas  inspection  fund ;  and 
provided,  further,  that  for  the  expense  of  disconnecting  and  re-setting  each 
meter  so  as  aforesaid  inspected  and  found  to  register  no  greater  volume  of  gas 
than  actually  passes  it,  such  gas  company  shall  receive  and  be  paid  from  said 
fund  the  sum  of  fifty  cents. 

ORDINANCE   29267. 

Section  4.  The  gas  to  be  furnished  by  said  companies  under  the  terms 
and  upon  the  conditions  prescribed  in  this  ordinance  shall  be  merchantable 
illuminating  gas  of  not  less  than  seventeen  (17)  candle-light  power;  that  is,  of 
such  quality  as  that  a  burner  consuming  five  (5)  cubic  feet  thereof  per  hour, 
at  a  piessure  of  not  exceeding  two-tenths  (2-10)  of  an  inch  at  the  photometric 
burner  (which  said  photometric  burner  shall  be  of  the  lava-tipped  Bunsen- 
Argand  pattern),  shall  give,  a  light  as  measured  by  the  photometric  apparatus 
in  ordinary  use,  of  not  less  than  seventeen  (17)  standard  sperm  candles,  each 
consuming  one  hundred  and  twenty  (120)  grains  per  hour,  to  be  determined  by 
the  monthly  average  of  semi-weekly  tests  to  be  made  by  the  proper  officer  to 
be  designated  by  the  Director  of  Public  Works,  at  places  of  not  more  than  one 
mile  distant  from  one  or  the  other  of  the  several  works  of  the  said  companies, 
respectively,  the  result  of  which  said  tests  shall  be  communicated  to  the  said 
companies  within  twenty-four  (24)  hours  after  the  same  shall  have  been  made. 
No  one  hundred  cubic  feet  of  said  gas  thus  furnished  shall  contain  more  than 
twenty  (20)  grains  of  sulphur,  nor  more  than  ten  (lo)  grains  of  ammonium, 
nor  shall  said  gas  contain  any  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  The  said  gas  shall  be 
delivered  at  the  burner  of  the  consumer  at  such  pressure  in  the  mains  as  shall 
be  consistent  with  the  proper  distribution  of  the  gas  throughout  the  entire 
system  of  mains  in  the  city,  and  the  degree  of  the  said  pressure  shall  be  at  all 
times  wholly  subject  to  and  under  the  control  and  direction  of  the  Director  of 
Public  Works,  and  all  governors,  mtters,  works  of,  and  the  gas  furnished  by 
said  companies,  respectively,  shall  at  all  times  be  subject  to  the  inspection  of 
the  proper  officer  to  be  designated  by  the  said  Director  of  Public  Works  for 
such  purpose. 


116 

MINNEAPOLIS. 

An  Ordinance  providing  for  the  appointment  of  an  Inspector  of  Gas  and 
defining  the  duties  of  such  officer  and  providing  for  the  inspection  of  gas 
and  gas  meters  and  prescribing  rules  and  regulations  for  the  manufacture, 
measurement  and  quality  of  gas  supplied  to  consumers  within  the  City  of 
Minneapolis. 
The  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Minneapolis  do  ordain  as  follows : 

Section  1.  That  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Minneapolis  shall,  at 
the  time  specified  in  Chapter  3  of  the  City  Charter  for  the  appointment  of 
other  city  officers,  appoint  as  Inspector  of  Gas  a  suitable  person  recommended 
to  said  Council  in  the  manner  hereinafter  provided  as  competent  to  test  gas 
meters  and  the  quality,  purity  and  illuminating  power  of  gas. 

The  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  the  Professor  of  Physics  of  the  Minne- 
sota State  University  and  the  Principal  of  the  Minneapolis  High  School  shall 
constitute  a  board  for  the  examination  of  all  persons  desiring  to  apply  for 
position  of  Inspector  of  Gas  of  the  City  of  Minneapolis.  Said  board  shall  fix 
a  time  during  the  month  of  December  of  each  even  numbered  year  when  they 
will  examine  applicants  for  the  position  of  Inspector  of  Gas,  and  they  shall 
notify  the  City  Clerk  of  the  time  so  fixed  at  least  one  week  prior  to  such  time ; 
at  the  time  so  fixed  and  at  such  time  thereafter  as  said  board  may  by  adjourn- 
ment determine,  said  board  shall  examine  applicants  in  such  manner  as  they 
shall  deem  necessary  as  to  their  competency  to  test  the  quality,  purity  and 
illuminating  power  of  gas  and  correctness  of  gas  meters.  After  such  examin- 
ations said  board  shall  certify  to  the  City  Council  of  the  City  of  Minneapolis 
at  its  first  meeting  in  January  of  each  odd  numbered  year  the  names  of  such 
persons  as  the  members  of  said  board  shall  deem  fully  competent  to  make  such 
tests.  Only  persons  certified  to  as  competent  by  said  examining  board  shall 
be  eligible  to  the  appointment  by  the  City  Council  as  Inspector  of  Gas.  Pro- 
vided, however,  that  a  person  once  appointed  by  the  City  Council  as  Inspector 
of  Gas  in  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  this  ordinance  shall  be  deemed 
eligible  for  reappointment  without  such  certificate  from  said  examining  board. 
Provided,  further,  that  upin  the  passage  by  the  City  Council  of  this  ordinance, 
they  may  request  the  persons  herein  designated  as  an  examining  board,  at  a 
time  designated  in  said  request,  to  meet  and  examine  applicants  as  above  pro- 
vided for  the  position  of  Inspector  of  Gas,  and  certify  t  >  the  City  Council  the 
names  of  the  persons  deemed  by  them  competent  as  above  provided,  and 
thereupon  the  City  Council  may  appoint  from  the  names  so  certified  an 
Inspector  of  Gas,  to  serve  until  January  ist,  1895,  an^  until  his  successor  is 
appointed  and  qualified  as  hereinbefore  provided. 

DU-IIES   OF   INSPECTOR. 

Section  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  Inspector  of  Gas,  when 
requested,  to  inspect,  examine,  prove  and  ascertain  the  accuracy  of  any  and  all 
meters  used  or  intended  to  be  used  for  measuring  and  ascertaining  the  quan- 
tity of  gas  furnished  by  the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  to  a  consumer 
of  gas  within  the  City  of  Minneapolis  ;  and  when  found  to  be  correct,  to  seal, 
stamp  or  mark  all  such  meters  and  each  of  them  with  some  suitable  device 
which  shall  be  recorded  in  the  office  of  the  City  Clerk.  It  shall  also  be  the 


117 

duty  of  said  Inspector  of  Gas  to  make  tests  of  the  illuminating  and  heating 
power,  and  tests  of  the  purity  and  specific  gravity  of  the  gas  furnished  con- 
sumers within  the  City  of  Minneapolis  by  said  company  and  to  make  tests  of 
the  pressure  maintained  throughout  the  gas  mains  of  the  City  of  Minneapolis. 
From  and  after  the  first  day  of  January,  1895,  ^e  Inspector  of  Gas  shall 
perform  all  duties  now  imposed  upon  the  Light  Inspector  of  the  City  of  Min- 
neapolis, and  the  office  of  Light  Inspector  of  said  city  shall  be  from  and  after 
said  date  abolished.  Said  Inspector  of  Gas  shall  also  perform  such  other 
duties  as  may  be  required  under  the  terms  of  this  ordinance,  or  from  time  to 
time  by  the  City  Council. 

Section  3.  The  Inspector  of  Gas  may,  by  and  with  the  consent  and 
approval  of  the  City  Council,  appoint  such  deputies  as  may  be  deemed  neces- 
sary. Said  deputies  shall  have  the  power,  under  the  direction  of  the  Inspector 
of  Gas,  to  perform  any  duty  which  the  Inspector  of  Gas  may  be  required  to 
perform. 

INSPECTION   OF   METERS. 

Section  4.  The  Inspector  of  Gas  of  the  City  of  Minneapolis,  or  his 
authorized  deputy,  shall  have  the  right  at  any  time  to  direct  the  Minneapolis 
Gas  Light  Company  to  remove  any  meter  of  said  company,  between  the  hours 
of  8  A.  M.  and  noon  of  any  week-day,  from  the  premises  of  any  consumer,  in 
the  presence  of  said  inspector,  and  to  turn  it  over  to  said  inspector,  for  the 
purpose  of  testing  said  meter;  and  the  said  company  shall,  whenever  deemed 
necessary  by  said  inspector,  be  required  to  supply  to  any  consumer  whose 
meter  may  be  removed  for  inspection,  another  meter  for  use  during  the  time 
required  for  such  inspection.  Whenever  said  Gas  Light  .Company  shall  fail 
to  so  remove  any  meter  under  the  directions  of  said  inspector,  it  shall  be 
lawful  for  said  inspector  to  remove  such  meter  for  the  purpose  of  testing  the 
same. 

Any  consumer  of  gas  within  the  city  shall  have  the  right,  on  paying  to 
the  Inspector  of  Gas  a  fee  of  one  dollar,  to  have  his  meter  tested,  and  may  be 
present  at  any  such  test,  if  he  so  desires.  And  the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light 
Company  shall,  in  all  cases,  have  notice  when  such  test  is  to  be  made.  There 
shall  be  three  tests  made  of  gas  meters  by  said  Inspector  of  Gas  : 

First,  to  prove  accurately  the  registration  of  the  meter,  by  means  of  the 
standard  prover  in  ordinary  use  ;  second,  to  prove  the  steadiness  of  the  light, 
and  the  freedom  of  the  meter  from  leakage ;  third,  to  prove  that  the  meter 
registers  small  quantities  of  gas.  If  any  meter  on  being  tested  shall  be  found 
to  register  quantities  incorrectly  to  an  extent  exceeding  two  per  cent.,  or  if 
under  second  test  said  meter  is  to  be  found  to  leak,  or  if  any  noticeable  fluctu- 
ation in  the  light  is  observed,  or  if  under  the  third  test  the  meter  fails  to  reg- 
ister small  quantities  of  gas  consumed,  the  meter  shall  be  turned  over  to  the 
Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  for  readjustment  and  the  same  shall  not  be 
again  used  until  the  defect  is  remedied,  the  meter  again  inspected  by  said  In- 
spector of  Gas,  and  found  to  be  correct  and  duly  sealed.  Every  mtter  shall  be 
considered  correct  as  to  the  first  test  and  so  certified  and  sealed  which  shall 
register  quantities  varying  not  more  than  two  per  cent,  from  the  standard 
measure  of  gas. 


118 

Whenever  such  meter  on  being  tested  shall  be  found  to  register  incor- 
rectly to  the  injury  of  the  consumer,  to  an  extent  exceeding  two  per  cent.,  the 
fee  of  one  dollar  paid  by  said  consumer  for  such  inspection  shall  be  repaid  to 
said  consumer.  All  fees  received  by  the  Inspector  of  Gas  shall  be  accounted 
for  by  him  monthly  and  shall  be  by  him  paid  into  the  City  Treasury  monthly 
and  monthly  reports  thereof  by  him  submitted  to  the  City  Council. 

All  meters  hereafter  furnished  by  the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company 
to  consumers  of  gas,  shall,  whenever  required  by  the  Inspector  of  Gas,  be  first 
inspected,  proved  and  sealed  by  him. 

Section  5.  It  is  made  the  duty  of  the  Inspector  of  Gas  to  carefully  pro- 
tect and  guard  all  meters  which  come  into  his  possession  for  inspection,  and 
he  shall  tightly  cork  all  meters  during  the  time  in  which  they  are  in  his  pos- 
session and  not  being  tested.  He  shall  have  a  card  made  which  he  shall 
attach  to  each  meter  inspected  by  him,  and  upon  this  card  shall  be  given  the 
data  connected  with  the  inspection  of  the  meter,  and  when  so  tested,  if  found 
correct  and  so  certified  by  him  on  such  card,  it  will  be  deemed  sealed  by  him. 

It  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  person  other  than  said  inspector  and  his  dep- 
uties to  deface,  alter  or  remove  any  card  so  placed  by  the  inspector  upon  any 
meter,  or  to  place  upon  any  meter  a  certificate  purporting  to  be  the  certificate 
of  said  inspector. 

QUALITY   OF   GAS. 

Section  6»  The  gas  furnished  by  the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company 
for  illuminating  purposes  within  the  City  of  Minneapolis  shall  be  so  manu- 
factured by  said  company  that  such  gas  shall  be  merchantable  illuminating  gas 
of  not  less  than  twenty-five  sperm  candles,  that  is,  of  such  quality  that  the 
burner  consuming  five  cubic  feet  per  hour,  at  a  pressure  not  exceeding  eleven- 
tenths  inches  at  the  photometric  burner,  shall  give  a  light  as  measured  by  the 
photometric  process  in  ordinary  use,  of  not  less  than  twenty- five  sperm 
candles,  six  to  the  pound,  each  consuming  120  grains  per  hour.  The  burner 
used  in  all  cases  shall  be  the  ordinary  lava  tipped  fish-tail  or  bat-winged 
burner.  In  case  the  full  illuminating  value  of  the  gas  furnished  by  said  com- 
pany is  not  given  by  the  burner  above  described,  such  burner  shall  be  used  as 
will  give  the  full  amount  of  light  obtainable  from  the  gas.  If  the  Minneapolis 
Gas  Light  Company  shall  at  any  time  make  and  furnish  to  the  people  of  the 
City  of  Minneapolis  an  all-coal  gas,  the  candle-power  thereof  shall  be  not  less 
than  eighteen  candle-power  under  the  test  hereinbefore  provided,  except  that 
the  water  pressure  shall  not  exceed  six-tenths  inches.  Said  gas  to  have  the 
illuminating  quality  above  specified  as  it  leaves  the  holder  of  said  company, 
such  quality  to  be  determined  by  monthly  average  of  semi- weekly  tests 
made  by  the  Inspector  of  Gas  of  the  City  of  Minneapolis. 

In  all  tests  of  gas  made  at  places  in  the  City  of  Minneapolis  other  than  the 
holder  of  said  company,  a  proper  correction  shall  be  made  for  the  necessary 
depreciation  in  the  illuminating  power  of  said  gas  in  passing  from  the  holder 
to  the  point  at  which  such  test  is  made.  Said  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Com- 
pany shall  so  adjust  its  mains  for  the  distribution  of  gas  that  the  illuminating 
power  of  gas  in  the  mains  within  a  radius  of  one  and  one-half  miles  of  its 


119 

works  shall  be  at  least  ninety-two  per  cent,  of  the  illuminating  power  of  said 
gas  when  it  leaves  the  holder  of  said  company. 

Section  7.  The  Inspector  of  Gas  shall  semi-weekly  make  tests  at  the 
holder  of  said  company  and  at  some  place  or  places  not  more  than  one  and 
one-half  miles  distant  from  the  point  where  the  works  of  said  gas  company 
in  said  city  are  situated,  and  ascertain  whether  the  gas  being  supplied  by  said 
company  to  consumers  is  of  the  quality  and  illuminating  power  required  by 
the  preceding  section  ;  and  he  shall  at  the  end  of  each  month  make  an  average 
of  said  semi-weekly  tests  made  during  the  month,  which  average  shall  be 
deemed  to  show  correctly  the  quality  of  gas  with  reference  to  its  illuminating 
power  furnished  by  the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  to  consumers  during 
such  month  ;  and  he  shall  within  twenty-four  hours  thereafter  notify  the  Min- 
neapolis Gas  Light  Company  of  such  average. 

For  the  purpose  of  making  tests  of  said  gas  a  room  shall  be  provided  and 
fitted  up  at  the  expense  of  the  City  of  Minneapolis  at  some  place  not  more 
than  one  and  one-half  miles  distant  from  the  works  of  said  gas  company.  And 
the  gas  company  shall  conduct,  or  permit  to  be  conducted,  gas  from  its  main 
nearest  such  room  to  such  room  by  such  pipes  as  the  Inspector  of  Gas  may 
direct,  adapted  for  submitting  such  gas  to  all  the  tests  required  by  this 
ordinance. 

Section  8.  Gas  supplied  by  the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  to 
consumers  within  the  City  of  Minneapolis  shall  not  contain  more  than  twenty 
grains  of  sulphur  in  any  form  in  one  hundred  cubic  feet  of  gas,  nor  more  than 
five  grains  of  ammonia  in  any  form  in  one  hundred  cubic  feet  of  gas,  and  shall 
be  free  of  the  impurity  known  as  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  said  impurity  to  be 
determined  by  passing  the  gas  through  a  glass  vessel  containing  strips  of  bib- 
ulous paper  moistened  with  a  solution  of  the  acetate  of  lead,  and  if  any  discol- 
oration of  the  test  paper  is  found  to  have  taken  place,  this  is  to  be  held 
conclusive  of  the  presence  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen  in  the  gas;  and  such  gas 
shall  be  free  from  all  other  noxious  impurities. 

Section  9.  Said  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  shall  so  adjust  and 
complete  its  system  of  mains  that  gas  shall  be  distributed  throughout  the 
entire  system  of  gas  mains  in  the  city  at  a  proper  and  reasonable  pressure, 
subject  to  the  inspection  and  approval  of  the  Inspector  of  Gas  of  the  City  of 
Minneapolis. 

Section  10.  The  Inspector  of  Gas  shall  at  least  once  in  every  four 
months,  and  as  much  oftener  as  is  in  his  judgment  necessary,  make  a  test  of  gas 
supplied  to  consumers  within  the  City  of  Minneapolis  for  illuminating  pur- 
poses, to  ascertain  its  purity  and  specific  gravity  and  heat  units  ;  and  he  shall 
from  time  to  time  make  tests  at  different  points  throughout  the  system  of  mains 
in  the  City  of  Minneapolis  to  ascertain  the  pressure  of  gas  within  such  mains. 
Said  Inspector  of  Gas  shall  make  monthly  tests  to  determine  whether  the 
street  lights  supplied  by  the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  under  its  con- 
tract with  the  City  of  Minneapolis  are  in  all  respects  equal  to  the  specifications 
and  requirements  contained  in  said  contract. 

Said  inspector  shall  have,  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  tests  and  inspec- 
tion herein  stated,  all  reasonable  access  during  the  proper  hours  to  the  works 


120 

of  said  company  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  purpose  of  properly  making  the 
tests  herein  provided  for.  The  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  may  have 
a  representative  present  at  any  and  all  tests  made  by  the  Inspector  of  Gas. 

Section  11.  Said  Inspector  of  Gas  shall  keep  a  full  and  complete  official 
record  of  all  tests  made  by  him  or  by  any  of  his  deputies ;  and  he  shall  notify 
the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  within  twenty-four  rnurs  after  any  test 
is  made  by  him  of  the  result  of  such  test. 

Said  Inspector  of  Gas  shall  annually,  at  the  beginning  of  each  year  and 
at  such  other  times  as  the  City  Council  may  request,  report  to  the  City  Coun- 
cil the  result  of  all  tests  made  by  him  since  the  last  preceding  report  to  the 
City  Council. 

PENALTY   FOR   NON-COMPLIANCE. 

Section  12.  If  the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  shall  fail  to  furnish 
consumers  gas  within  the  City  of  Minneapolis  of  the  quality  prescribed  in 
Section  6  of  this  ordinance,  as  shown  by  the  average  of  semi-weekly  tests  as 
provided  in  Section  7  of  this  ordinance,  during  any  month,  then  the  Minne- 
apolis Gas  Light  Company  shall  forfeit  and  pay  to  the  City  of  Minneapolis 
a  sum  of  money  the  amount  of  which  shall  be  determined  as  follows  : 

In  case  of  gas,  other  than  all-coal  gas,  for  each  candle-power  that  the 
illuminating  power  of  gas  actually  furnished  is  less  than  twenty-five  candle- 
power,  said  sum  shall  be  one-twentieth  of  the  entire  sum  paid  to  said  Gas 
Light  Company  by  consumers  of  metered  gas  within  the  City  of  Minneapolis 
for  such  month. 

In  case  of  an  all-coal  gas,  said  sum  shall  be  for  each  candle-power  that 
the  illuminating  power  of  said  gas  is  less  than  eighteen  candle-power,  one- 
fifteenth  of  the  sum  so  paid  to  said  Gas  Light  Company  by  consumers  of 
metered  gas  within  the  City  of  Minneapolis  for  such  month. 

Provided,  however,  if  the  illuminating  power  of  the  gas  actually  supplied 
to  consumers  any  month  shall  be  less  than  the  power  prescribed  in  Section  6 
of  this  ordinance,  as  determined  by  the  method  provided  in  Section  7  of  this 
ordinance,  and  if  for  any  month  the  Gas  Company  shall  make  to  such  consum- 
ers a. pro  rata  reduction  in  their  bills  for  gas  consumed  during  that  month, 
that  is,  a  reduction  of  one-twenty-fifth  for  each  candle-power  as  by  Section  7 
of  this  ordinance  determined,  that  the  gas  actually  furnished  to  consumers 
shall  be  less  than  twenty-five  candle-power  in  case  of  other  than  all-coal  gas, 
and  a  reduction  of  one-eighteenth  for  each  candle-power  that  the  gas  actually 
furnished  shall  be  less  than  eighteen  candle-power,  as  by  Section  7  of  this 
ordinance  determined,  in  case  of  an  all-coal  gas,  then  said  company  shall  not 
forfeit  or  be  required  to  pay  the  sum  of  money  to  the  City  of  Minneapolis  as 
in  this  section  provided  for  such  month.  Any  moneys  forfeited  to  the  City  of 
Minneapolis  or  required  to  be  paid  to  the  City  of  Minneapolis  by  the  terms  of 
this  section  shall  be  recovered  in  a  civil  action  brought  in  the  name  uf  the 
City  of  Minneapolis  against  said  Gas  Light  Company. 

Section  13.  In  case  the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  shall,  after 
receiving  notice  of  the  result  of  any  tests  made  by  the  Inspector  of  Gas,  will- 
fully and  unnecessarily  continue  to  manufacture  and  distribute  through  its 
mains  within  the  City  of  Minneapolis  gas  different  from  that  prescribed  by  the 
terms  of  this  ordinance,  said  company  and  the  managing  officers  and  agenda 


121 

thereof  shall  be  deemed  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  upon  conviction  thereof 
in  the  Municipal  Court  of  the  City  of  Minneapolis,  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine 
of  not  m  )re  than  one  hundred  dollars  or  by  imprisonment  for  a  term  not 
exceeding  ninety  days,  and  each  day  that  said  company  shall  so  willfully  and 
unnecessarily  continue  to  manufacture  and  distribute  through  its  mains  within 
the  City  of  Minneapolis,  gas  different  from  that  prescribed  by  the  terms  of 
this  ordinance  shall  be  deemed  a  separate  offense  and  punishable  as  such. 

Section  14.  This  ordinance  shall  take  effect  and  be  in  force  from  and 
after  its  publication. 

DETROIT. 

Section  11.  The  manufactured  gas  to  be  furnished  by  said  company  for 
illuminating  purposes,  under  the  terms  and  upon  the  conditions  prescribed  in 
this  ordinance,  shall  be  merchantable  illuminating  gas  of  not  less  than  eighteen 
(18)  candle-power;  that  is,  of  such  quality  that  a  burner  consuming  five  feet 
thereof  per  hour  at  a  pressure  not  exceeding  two-tenths  (2-10)  of  an  inch  at 
the  photometric  burner  (which  said  burner  shall  be  of  the  lava-tipped  Bunsen- 
Argand  pattern),  shall  give  a  light  as  measured  by  the  photometric  apparatus 
in  ordinary  use  of  not  less  than  eighteen  ( 18)  standard  sperm  candles,  each 
consuming  one  hundred  and  twenty  (120)  grains  per  hour,  to  be  determined  by 
the  monthly  average  of  semi- weekly  tests  to  be  made  by  the  proper  officer  of 
the  city  government,  to  be  designated  by  the  Board  of  Public  Works,  at  places 
of  not  more  than  one  mile  distant  from  any  of  the  works  of  said  company,  the 
results  of  which  said  tests  shall  be  communicated  to  the  said  company  within 
twenty-fiur  hours  after  the  same  shall  have  been  made.  If  the  average  of  said 
semi-weekly  tests  for  any  month  shall  fall  below  eighteen  candle-power  as 
herein  provided,  then  the  amount  to  be  charged  for  such  gas  furnished  to 
consumers  during  said  month  shall  be  reduced  pro  rata,  and  the  said  gas  shall 
be  delivered  at  the  burner  of  the  consumer  at  such  pressure  in  the  mains  as 
shall  be  consistent  with  the  proper  distribution  of  the  gas  throughout  the  entire 
system  of  the  mains  in  the  city,  and  the  degree  of  the  said  pressure  shall  be 
proper  and  reasonable  and  at  all  times  subject  to  the  inspection  and  approval 
of  the  Board  of  Public  Works.  All  meters,  governors  and  apparatus  shall  be 
subject  af  all  times  to  inspection  by  the  proper  officer  to  be  designated  for  such 
purpose  by  the  Board  of  Public  Works. 

Section  12.  The  Board  of  Public  Works  by  its  authorized  agent,  shall 
have  the  right  to  remove  any  meter  of  said  company  from  the  premises  of  any 
consumer  for  the  purpose  of  testing  the  same.  Said  company  shall  be 
required,  whenever  deemed  necessary  by  said  Board  of  Public  Works,  to 
supply  to  any  consumer  whose  meter  may  be  removed  for  inspection  another 
meter  for  use  during  the  time  required  for  such  inspection.  Any  consumer  of 
gas  in  said  city  shall  have  the  right,  on  paying  to  said  Board  of  Public  Works 
a  fee  of  one  dollar,  to  have  his  meter  inspected,  and  may  be  present  at  such 
test  if  he  so  desires,  and  the  said  company  shall  have  notice  that  such  test  is  to 
be  made.  If  any  such  meter  on  being  tested  shall  be  found  to  register  inac- 
curately to  the  injury  of  the  consumer  to  an  extent  exceeding  two  per  centum, 
t'le  fee  of  one  dollar  paid  by  such  consumer  for  such  inspection  shall  be 
returned  to  the  consumer  by  said  company.  The  officer  making  the  inspection 


122 

shall  mark  such  meter  as  fast,  and  said  company  shall  not  allow  the  same  to  be 
used  until  the  defect  is  remedied,  the  meter  again  inspected  by  said  officer, 
found  to  be  correct  and  so  certified.  Every  such  meter  shall  be  considered 
correct,  and  sealed  accordingly,  which  shall  register  quantities  varying  from 
the  true  standard  measure  of  gas  not  more  than  two  per  centum,  and  a  record 
shall  be  kept  of  the  same  and  of  all  fees  collected.  Whenever  a  consumer 
shall  have  his  meter  tested  as  above  provided  and  the  same  shall  be  found 
correct,  then  said  inspection  fee  shall  not  be  returned,  but  shall  be  equally 
divided  between  the  city  and  said  Detroit  Gas  Company.  All  meters  hereafter 
placed  by  said  Detroit  Gas  Company  shall,  whenever  required  by  the  Board  of 
Public  Works,  be  first  inspected,  proved  and  sealed  by  the  agent  of  said 
board.  All  tests  of  meters  shall  be  made  with  the  standard  meter-provers  in 
ordinary  use. 

LOUISVILLE. 

Section  9.  In  the  month  of  January,  eighteen  hundred  and  eighty-nine, 
and  at  the  beginning  of  each  new  mayoralty  term  thereafter,  the  Mayor  of  the 
city  of  Louisville,  with  the  approval  of  the  General  Council  of  said  city,  shall 
appoint  a  competent  gas  expert,  who  shall  own  no  stock,  and  not  to  be  inter- 
ested, directly  or  indirectly,  in  said  company,  as  the  City  Gas  Inspector,  to 
serve  until  the  beginning  of  the  next  succeeding  mayoralty  term,  unless 
removed  from  office  as  hereinafter  provided.  Before  entering  into  office,  said 
City  Gas  Inspector  shall  give  bond  in  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  for  the 
faithful  performance  of  his  duties,  on  which  anyone  injured  by  the  official  act 
of  said  inspector  may  recover.  Said  inspector  shall  have  his  office  in  the  City 
Hall  of  said  city,  accessible  to  gas  consumers  and  citizens,  and  shall  be  paid 
by  said  city  a  salary  of  three  thousand  dollars  per  annum,  payable  as  provided 
by  salary  ordinance  in  like  manner  with  the  salaries  of  other  officers  and 
employees  of  said  city.  The  office  hours  of  said  inspector  shall  be  from 
9  A.  M.  to  3  P.  M.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  inspector  to  examine  into  any 
alleged  errors  of  the  gas  bills  of  consumers,  private  or  public,  when  called 
upon  by  the  consumer  to  do  so,  and  to  correct  the  same  when  erroneous;  to 
examine  into  monthly  gas  bills  rendered  against  said  city,  and  correct  the  same ; 
to  make  daily  tests  of  the  gas  furnished  by  said  company,  as  to  candle  power 
and  quality;  to  serve  on  said  campany  written  notice  of  any  defect  or  failure 
in  the  power  or  quality  of  the  gas,  as  provided  by  this  charter,  on  each  day  on 
which  said  test  shall  show  such  defect  or  failure ;  to  make  a  certified  report  of 
such  defect  or  failure,  the  duration  thereof,  and  such  damages  as  may  have 
been  sustained,  according  to  the  rate  per  diem  as  hereinafter  fixed,  with  a 
certificate  that  written  notices,  as  required,  were  served  on  said  company,  to 
the  General  Council  of  said  city,  within  thirty  days  after  the  beginning  of  such 
defect  or  failure,  and  from  time  to  time  thereafter,  in  the  event  such  defect  or 
failure  continues  or  recurs.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  inspector  to  furnish 
said  company  an  annual  time  schedule,  prepared  on  the  basis  of  four  thousand 
hours  burning  per  annum,  by  which  the  street  lamps  shall  be  lighted  and 
extinguished;  to  report  to  said  company  any  failure  or  neglect  to  light  or 
extinguish  the  lamps  in  accordance  therewith,  or  to  clean,  repair,  or  keep  in 
order  said  lamps,  and  to  see  that  any  such  neglect  or  failure  is  remedied.  It 


123 

shall  be  the  duty  of  said  inspector  to  examine  into  the  annual  reports  furnished 
by  said  company  to  said  General  Council,  and  to  advise  the  Mayor  if  the  same 
are  unsatisfactory.  It  is  further  provided  that  said  inspector  shall  have  a 
general  supervision  over  all  the  meters  of  said  company  and  the  connecting 
pipes  of  the  public  lamps,  and  shall  examine  and  seal  said  meters  before  they 
are  put  in  use,  and  condemn  or  reject  said  pipes  if  insufficient  to  supply  the  gas 
required  by  a  five-foot  burner.  Said  inspector  is  hereby  given  the  authority 
and  power  to  do  all  such  acts  and  have  all  such  access  to  the  property  of  said 
company  as  may  be  necessary  to  the  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties  herein 
imposed  upon  him.  For  any  failure  or  neglect  on  the  part  of  said  inspector  to 
perform  faithfully  the  duties  of  his  office,  he  may  be  removed  by  the  Mayor  of 
said  city  with  the  approval  of  the  General  Council.  Said  company  shall  furnish 
to  all  consumers,  private  and  public,  gas  of  an  illuminating  power  of  not  less 
than  sixteen  candles,  English  sperm,  and  of  the  best  quality  of  said  power, 
( N OTE. — Not  more  than  twenty  grains  of  sulphur  nor  five  grains  of  am- 
monia per  hundred  cubic  feet  of  gas  are  permitted  and  no  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  is  allowed)  the  same  to  be  tested  by  the  City  Gas  Inspector  and  said 
company  shall  fully  and  freely  permit  said  City  Gas  Inspector  to  test  and  inspect 
the  gas,  gas  meters  and  pressure  at  any  and  all  times  ;  and  for  any  defect  in  the 
power  or  quality  of  gas  furnished  consumers,  below  or  inferior  to  the  standard 
of  power  or  quality  prescribed  herein,  or  any  failure  of  said  company  to  furnish 
gas  of  said  standard  for  five  consecutive  days,  then  said  company  shall  immedi- 
ately pay  to  said  city  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  such  fifth  day,  and  a  like 
amount  for  each  succeeding  day  until  the  gas  is  of  said  standard,  on  condition 
that  written  notice  is  given  to  said  company  by  said  City  Gas  Inspector  of  such 
defect  or  failure  on  each  day  on  which  complaint  shall  be  made;  provided, 
however,  that  if  said  defect  or  failure  be  the  result  of  unavoidable  accident  or 
casualty,  said  company  shall  not  be  liable  or  make  any  such  payment,  if  it  shall 
repair  such  injury  or  accident  with  reasonable  dispatch.  And  upon  such  defect 
or  failure  as  to  the  standard  of  power  or  quality  of  gas  furnished  to  consumers, 
private  or  public,  then,  upon  the  certified  report  thereof  to  the  General  Council 
of  said  city,  by  the  City  Gas  Inspector,  a  sufficient  amount  to  compensate 
therefor  as  damages,  in  accordance  with  the  rate  per  diem  as  herein  fixed,  shall 
be  withheld  by  said  city  from  any  bill  or  claim  which  said  company  may  then 
have  against  said  city ;  but  if  such  amount  is  not  so  withheld,  the  liability  of 
said  company  shall  continue;  provided,  however,  that  before  the  said  inspector 
shall  correct  any  bill  of  a  private  consumer  or  of  the  city,  he  shall  make 
inquiry  of  the  treasurer  of  said  company  in  reference  to  any  error  alleged  to 
be  therein,  and  if  satisfied  that  there  is  an  error  he  shall  give  a  certificate,  over 
his  signature,  of  the  correction  of  such  bill,  and  such  certificate,  as  well  as  the 
report  of  said  inspector,  provided  for  above,  in  reference  to  the  candle-power 
and  quality  of  gas,  shall  be  prima  facie  evidence  of  the  facts  contained 
therein. 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 

Section  3.  That  Section  one  of  an  Act  entitled  "An  Act  regulating  gas 
works,"  approved  June  twenty  third,  eighteen  hundred  and  seventy-four,  is 
amended  so  as  to  read  as  follows  :  "That  from  and  after  the  thirtieth  day  of 


124 

June,  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-six,  the  illuminating  power  of  the  gas  fur- 
nished by  any  gaslight  company,  person,  or  persons  in  the  District  of  Columbia 
shall  be  equal  to  twenty-five  candles  by  the  Bunsen  photometer,  using  the  Bray 
slit  union  burner,  number  seven,  consuming  five  cubic  feet  of  gas  per  hour;  and 
such  gas  shall  not  contain  more  than  twenty  grains  of  sulphur  in  any  form  in 
one  hundred  cubic  feet,  nor  more  than  five  grains  of  ammonia  in  any  form  in 
one  hundred  cubic  feet,  and  shall  be  free  of  the  impurity  known  as  'sulphu- 
retted hydrogen,'  said  impurity  to  be  determined  by  passing  the  gas  through 
a  glass  vessel  containing  strips  of  bibulous  paper  moistened  with  a  solution  of 
the  acetate  of  lead,  and  if  any  discoloration  of  the  test  paper  is  found  to  have 
taken  place,  this  is  to  be  held  conclusive  as  to  the  presence  of  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  in  the  gas.  When  the  illuminating  gas  supplied  by  any  company, 
person,  or  persons  in  the  District  of  Columbia  shall  at  any  one  time  be  of  less 
illuminating  power  or  of  less  purity  than  according  to  the  standard  just  hereto- 
fore given,  it  shall  be  so  reported  by  the  Inspector  of  Gas  and  Meters  to  the 
company,  person,  or  persons  supplying  the  same,  who  shall  be  subject  to  a 
penalty  of  one  hundred  dollars,  to  be  recovered  before  the  proper  tribunal  and 
paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  District  of  Columbia  aforesaid  for  each  and  every 
day  during  which  such  violation  shall  continue :  Provided,  however,  That  if  it 
shall  appear  that  such  deviation  from  the  above-named  standards  could  not 
have  been  prevented  by  ordinary  care  and  prudence,  but  was  occasioned  by 
some-unavoidable  causes,  then  the  said  penalty  shall  not  be  enforced." 

Section  4.  That  any  gas  company  or  person  placing  a  gas  meter  in 
service  in  the  District  of  Columbia  that  has  not  been  inspected,  proved,  and 
sealed,  as  provided  for  by  the  Act  of  March  third,  eighteen  hundred  and 
seventy-three,  entitled  "An  Act  making  appropriations  for  the  expenses  of  the 
government  of  the  District  of  Columbia  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June 
thirtieth,  eighteen  hundred  and  ninety-four,  and  for  other  purposes,"  for  each 
and  every  such  violation  of  said  Act  shall  be  subject  to  a  penalty  of  one 
hundred  dollars,  to  be  recovered  before  the  proper  tribunal  of  the  District  of 
Columbia:  Provided,  That  if  the  United  States  Inspector  of  Gas  and  Meters 
is  unable  through  press  of  business,  or  any  accidental  cause,  to  test  and  inspect 
and  seal  meters  proposed  to  be  set,  then  the  company  shall  be  at  liberty  to 
place  an  unsealed  gas  meter  on  any  premises,  the  same  to  be  replaced  by  a 
sealed  meter  as  soon  as  sealed  meters  can  be  procured  from  the  inspector,  not 
later  than  forty-eight  hours. 

(  Mr.  F.  H.  Shelton  took  the  Chair.) 

THE  PRESIDENT  (  Mr.  Shelton)  :  In  taking  up  the  discus- 
sion on  this  paper,  I  want  to  bring  out  the  reason  that 
prompted  me  to  ask  Mr.  Copley  to  write  a  paper  on  such  a 
practical  subject.  In  one  of  the  companies  with  which  I  am 
connected  there  was  a  plan  suggested  in  the  City  Council  for 
the  testing  of  the  gas — which  was  the  result  of  a  complaint 
made, on  the  part  of  a  man  not  a  consumer  of  gas,  but  which 
arose  through  some  personal  rancor  on  his  part,  and  he  tried 


125 

to  saddle  upon  the  local  company  an  outrageous  scheme  of 
gas  inspection.  It  was  with  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  that  the 
gas  company  was  able  to  get  a  fair  adjustment  of  the  matter, 
and  this  instance  brought  home  to  my  mind  that  lightning  of 
the  same  kind  is  liable  to  strike  any  gas  company.  While  the 
evil  of  bad  city  supervision  is,  perhaps,  not  a  very  extensive 
one,  yet,  where  it  does  crop  up,  it  is  apt  to  be  extremely  bur- 
densome to  the  gas  company.  It  seemed  to  me  that  all  gas 
companies  would  be  in  an  immeasurably  better  position  if  we 
were  able  to  show,  when  similar  movements  should  be  started 
for  local  gas  inspection,  what  a  proper  gas  inspection  is  ;  what  a 
fairly  defined  and  an  impartial  inspection  is ;  *in  other  words,  that 
the  subject  should  be  reduced  to  a  system  and  that  possibly  a 
report  of  a  special  committee  should  be  made  defining  practi- 
cal gas  tests,  the  place  of  test,  the  character  of  the  tests,  the 
frequency  of  the  tests,  etc.  ;  in  other  words,  that  a  fair  super- 
vision of  gas  inspection  would  be  so-and-so,  and  that  any  gas 
company  in  any  town  which  is  threatened  with  city  inspection 
would  be  able  to  fall  back  upon  this  report  as  a  standard  of 
inspection.  Suppose  the  Western  Gas  Association,  for  which 
the  paper  was  originally  projected,  or  this  Congress,  or  the 
different  gas  associations  would  come  to  an  agreement  concern- 
ing a  standard  of  gas  inspection.  The  gas  company  in  any 
city  could  fall  back  on  that  standard  and  point  out  that  it  was 
perfectly  willing  to  be  inspected  on  fair  lines,  and  that  fair 
lines  are  those  lines  which  have  been  investigated,  reported 
upon  and  adopted  by  a  majority  of  the  gas  interests. 

We  have  nothing  to  fear,  as  a  rule,  from  fair  inspection. 
We  welcome  it.  It  really  certifies  to  the  good  quality  of  gas 
we  are  putting  out  in  a  great  majority  of  cases.  What  we  do 
fear  is  unfair  inspection,  and  we  should  draw  out  the  differ- 
ence between  what  is  fair  and  unfair  inspection,  and  we  can 
only  make  this  difference  apparent  by  establishing  what  is  fair 
and  what  is  unfair.  My  hope  is  that  this  paper  of  Mr.  Copley's 
will  result  in  some  action  by  which  we  could  establish  what  is 
fair  gas  inspection.  This  subject  brings  to  my  mind  again  the 
advantages  of  joint  action  for  the  common  benefit  of  all  the  gas 
interests.  To  me  it  is  an  excellent  instance  of  where  united 
action  by  the  different  associations  of  this  country  could  estab- 


126 

lish  fair  standards  and  eliminate  this  trouble  and  that  trouble 
successfully  as  we  successively  take  up  the  different  points  and 
pass  upon  them.  I  hope  the  discussion  of  this  subject  will 
tend  toward  a  practical  plan  of  making  uniform  gas  inspec- 
tions, if  possible.  The  subject  is  open  for  discussion. 

MR.  PAUL  THOMPSON  (Philadelphia,  Pa.)  :  I  will  say,  in 
connection  with  what  Mr.  Shelton  has  said,  and  in  view  of 
Mr.  Copley's  paper,  that  my  investigation  of  the  subject  in  a 
meagre  way  has  brought  me  to  about  the  same  conclusion — 
that  there  are  very  few  cities  or  municipalities  that  are  to-day 
operating  under  any  system  of  inspection,  and  those  that  are, 
lack  in  definiteness,  in  providing  a  satisfactory  meeting  ground 
as  between  the  gas  company  and  the  consumer.  I  ask  Mr. 
Copley  if  he  will  explain  a  little  more  in  detail  the  Massachu- 
setts regulations  which  he,  I  think,  stated  were  in  his  judg- 
ment, the  most  intelligible  and  equitable  of  any  in  existence. 
He  states  that  the  candle-power  determination  is  to  be  made  by 
apparatus  approved  by  the  State  inspector,  but  he  did  not 
state  what  the  penalty  was,  or  how  the  inspection  was  made, 
or  how  long  a  time  they  had  in  which  to  correct  their  candle- 
power  if  it  fell  below  the  required  standard,  and  whether  the 
inspection  was  weekly  or  daily,  or  whether  the  penalty  was 
imposed  after  a  certain  length  of  time.  I  think  it  most 
important  that  all  these  regulations  should  be  defined. 

It  was  stated  freely  in  connection  with  the  report  that 
received  a  great  deal  of  consideration  at  the  hands  of  the  New 
York  City  papers — that  the  Greater  New  York  requirements 
were  a  certain  candle-power  for  three  weeks,  taking  one  test  a 
week,  and  that  they  must  not  fall  short  for  three  successive 
weeks.  The  statement  was  made  often  in  the  papers  that  it 
was  possible  for  the  gas  company  to  run  below  the  require- 
ments for  two  weeks,  and  on  the  third  week  to  bring  the  gas 
up  to  the  required  candle-power.  The  allegation  of  the  papers 
Avas  that  the  gas  company  did  not  take  care  of  the  consumer 
properly,  and  it  gave  an  opportunity  for  the  public  to  assume 
that  the  gas  company  would  reduce  its  candle-power  during 
the  two  weeks  and  make  it  all  right  the  third  week  and  still 
live  up  to  the  letter  of  the  contract.  I  think  any  regulation 


127 

which  a  gas  company  should  agree  to  should  be  very  careful 
to  definitely  state  the  various  points  which  I  have  alluded  to. 

THE  PRESIDENT  ( Mr.  Shelton)  :  Will  Mr.  Henry  L. 
Doherty,  who  must  have  some  views  on  this  question,  give  us 
the  benefit  of  them  ? 

MR.  HENRY  L.  DOHERTY  (  New  York  City)  :  I  was  not 
asked  to  discuss  this  subject  until  a  day  or  two  ago.  I  have 
no  decided  views  on  this  subject,  except  that  I  am  against  any 
municipal  or  State  control  that  can  be  avoided.  I  want  to 
transact  the  business  of  the  companies  I  am  connected  with 
in  a  way  limited  only  by  honor,  and  I  want,  if  possible,  to 
get  the  confidence  of  our  customers  so  that  they  do  not  doubt 
the  integrity  of  the  company.  I  think  there  are  some 
companies  in  this  country  where  that  result  is  secured. 

MR.  AI/TEN  S.  MILLER  (Baltimore,  Md.)  :  Our  business, 
as  has  been  stated  a  number  of  times,  is  the  selling  of  energy. 
The  method  of  measuring  that  energy,  whether  in  the  form  of 
light  or  capacity  for  producing  heat,  is  by  measuring  the 
product  through  a  meter  and  then  testing  the  quality  of  the 
product  afterward.  The  question  is,  therefore,  one  between 
the  gas  consumers  and  the  gas  company.  Unfortunately,  the 
gas  consumer  is  not  in  a  position  to  decide  for  himself  whether 
he  is  getting  the  quality  of  gas  contracted  for,  or  whether  he 
is  getting  the  proper  quantity,  and  I  think,  therefore,  that 
some  provision  should  be  made  for  him.  The  laws  of  the 
States  are  made,  as  a  rule,  by  men  who  do  not  burn  gas.  The 
majority  of  the  law-makers,  are  from  the  rural  districts,  and  I 
do  not  think  it  ought  to  be  left  in  the  hands  of  the  State,  but 
rather  in  the  hands  of  the  municipal  bodies,  whose  constituents 
are  almost  entirely  gas  consumers.  Further,  as  against  put- 
ting it  in  the  hands  of  the  State,  I  would  say  that  it  is  very 
difficult  to  make  a  general  law  for  the  State  that  would  be 
equitable  to  all  and  allow  certain  districts  to  get  the  advantage 
of  local  conditions.  It  seemed  to  be  the  consensus  of  opinion 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Western  Gas  Association,  which  was 
held  yesterday,  that  the  question  of  candle-power  was  a  local 
condition.  Suppose,  for  instance,  some  company  can  afford 
to  sell  natural  gas  to  its  consumers,  using  gas  in  Welsbach 


128 

burners,  they  might  be  able  to  sell  it  for  twenty-five  cents, 
thirty  cents  or  forty  cents,  but  if  the  State  compels  them  to 
enrich  the  gas  to  sixteen  or  eighteen  candles,  it  will  cost  the 
consumers  a  great  deal  more  for  light — therefore,  the  con- 
sumers will  be  at  a  disadvantage  on  account  of  a  general  State 
inspection. 

I  do  think,  howrever,  there  ought  to  be  an  inspection  in 
every  city,  both  as  to  quality  and  quantity,  not  for  the  benefit 
of  the  company  directly,  but  indirectly,  in  that  they  can  thus 
be  relieved  of  responsibility  and  refer  the  matter  to  the  con- 
sumers ;  and  if  there  were  not  such  a  system  of  inspection  in 
the  city  where  I  am  located,  I  should  be  willing  to  pay  for 
such  a  bureau.  However,  as  regards  the  amount — Mr.  Copley 
suggests  twenty-five  cents  a  meter — I  would  say  that  a  com- 
pany cannot  afford  to  pay  that  amount  for  every  inspection. 
Mr.  Copley  did  not  refer  to  re-inspection  of  meters.  The  sys- 
tem is  of  no  use  unless  the  meters  are  re-inspected  as  repaired. 
Our  custom  is  to  remove  meters  for  re-inspection  once  every 
three  years,  whether  they  have  been  removed  in  the  course  of 
business  or  not.  Adding  to  that  the  number  ordinarily 
removed  in  the  course  of  business,  we  find  that  all  meters  are 
handled  on  an  average  once  in  every  two  years.  Twenty-five 
cents  a  meter  would  be  a  serious  drain  on  the  company.  I 
would  further  say  that  the  transportation  of  the  meters  to  the 
office  of  the  inspector  is  a  very  serious  thing,  and  I  have  just 
made  arrangements  with  our  City  Fathers  to  inspect  the 
meters  in  our  shop,  and  I  have  agreed  to  pay  an  amount  which 
we  estimate  is  ten  cents  a  meter,  which  will  fully  cover  all  the 
expenses  of  the  testing,  and  the  handling  of  the  meters  by  the 
city.  The  original  ordinance  was  somewhat  ambiguous.  It 
allowed  the  city  twenty-five  cents  for  testing  the  meters.  For 
a  number  of  years  the  Gas  Company  paid  t\venty-five  cents 
each  for  the  testing  of  the  meters  and  the  re-testing  of  the 
meters,  but  on  studying  the  ordinance  it  seemed  to  me  that  it 
did  not  provide  that  the  Company  should  pay  twenty-five  cents 
for  the  re-testing,  and  therefore  I  stopped  paying  it.  A  case 
was  carried  through  the  courts  on  an  agreed  statement  of  facts 
and  the  Company  won.  Then  we  turned  around  and  said  we 
did  not  want  them  to  stop  re-testing  and  said  we  would  pay 


129 

the  expense  of  re-testing  if  they  would  do  it  in  our  shops,  and 
that  we  would  further  allow  the  city  inspector  full  access  to 
our  records  to  see  where  the  meters  were  set,  and  how  long 
they  were  in  each  place,  so  as  to  put  him  in  a  position  to  be  so 
familiar  with  the  accounts  of  the  Company  that  when  a  con- 
sumer made  a  complaint  we  could  shift  him  over  to  the  city 
inspector  and  the  city  inspector  will  be  in  a  position  to  say 
that  he  knows  the  meter  was  inspected  on  a  certain  date, 
under  such  conditions,  that  the  meter  was  set  for  use,  and  had 
not  been  touched  since,  thus  relieving  the  Company  of  a  great 
deal  of  trouble. 

As  far  as  the  testing  of  the  quality  of  gas  is  concerned,  that 
is  a  very  serious  matter.  There  have  been  a  great  many  dis- 
cussions between  men  who  have  spent  their  lives  in  the  gas 
industry  on  the  question  of  the  testing  of  the  illuminating 
quality  of  gas.  When  that  matter  is  delegated  to  a  city  official 
whose  main  idea  is  to  draw  his  salary,  it  comes  to  be  a  very 
serious  and  a  very  important  question,  and  before  any  com- 
pany voluntarily  agrees  to  allow  its  gas  to  be  tested  for  candle- 
power,  they  should  see  if  they  cannot  in  some  way  have  a  hand 
in  the  appointment  of  the  inspector  ;  that  is  to  say,  they  should 
see  if  they  cannot  influence  the  appointment  of  some  man  who 
is  qualified  to  do  the  inspection  work  properly,  because  the 
qualification  for  the  work  is  a  very  important  thing.  That 
leads  back  to  the  road  which  we  are  all  traveling,  that  possibly 
it  is  much  easier  to  test  by  calorimeter  than  by  photometer,  and 
the  tests  are  undoubtedly  more  accurate.  Possibly  it  may  be 
well  to  influence  the  testing  of  gas  by  the  calorimeter  instead 
of  the  photometer. 

MR.  H.  D.  WHITCOMB,  JR.  (Newark,  N.  J.)  :  I  agree 
with  what  Mr.  Miller  has  said  in  regard  to  the  city  inspector 
bringing  to  a  short  stop  what  would  many  times  be  a  long 
argument.  In  one  of  the  companies  with  which  I  am  con- 
nected we  have  a  city  inspector,  and  when  an  argument  in 
regard  to  whether  a  meter  is  correct  or  not  is  brought  forward 
by  a  consumer,  we  offer  to  test  the  meter  in  his  presence  at 
our  shop  free  of  charge,  or  else  have  the  city  inspector  test  the 
meter  for  him,  for  which  he  will  have  to  pay  a  dollar  if  the 


130 

meter  is  correct  within  certain  limits,  and  if  it  is  not  correct 
the  company  pays  the  charge.  I  will  say  in  the  city  of  New- 
ark, where  we  have  this  inspector,  I  think  within  the  last  year 
only  five  meters  cut  of  about  60,000  have  gone  to  the  city 
inspector  for  testing  on  complaint,  so  that  the  system  of  inspec- 
tion has  stopped  the  complaints  in  that  respect  to  a  very 
considerable  extent. 

MR.  THOMAS  D.   MILLER  (New  Orleans,  La.)  :     How  did 
the  five  meters  come  out  ? 

MR.  WHITCOMB  :     All  right. 

MR.  GEORGE  G.  RAMSDELL  (  New  York  City)  :  I  was 
never  inspected  but  once,  but  had  rather  a  nervous  time  at 
that  period.  I  think  that  most  of  the  suggestions  which  have 
been  made  are  very  good.  I  can  readily  understand  some  of 
the  difficulties  which  will  arise  when  you  undertake  to  set  a 
standard  for  the  solution  of  the  much-vexed  question  of  candle- 
power.  A  good  many  years  ago,  when  I  had  charge  of  the 
Company  at  Vincennes,  Ind.,  I  had  the  misfortune  to  have  a 
gentleman  in  the  City  Council  who  was  the  President  of  one 
of  the  banks;  the  President  of  the  Gas  Company  was  President 
of  a  rival  bank,  and  you  know  what  that  means  in  a  small 
town.  The  gentleman  in  the  Council  had  been  quietly  work- 
ing for  a  long  time  to  find  some  fault  on  the  part  of  the  Gas 
Company  so  that  its  ordinance  could  be  annulled.  I  was  at 
Cincinnati  buying  coal  on  the  occasion  above  referred  to  when 
I  got  a  telegram  from  home  that  ' '  the  Company  was  being 
inspected."  I  started  back  as  soon  as  I  could  get  away  con- 
veniently, and  when  I  arrived  home  I  found  there  was  an 
inspector  there,  a  gentleman  who  was  the  city  inspector  of  the 
city  of  St.  Louis,  who  had  been  employed  by  the  Council  at 
the  expense  of  the  city  and  instructed  to  bring  all  his  apparatus, 
and  wrho  \vas  instructed  to  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with 
the  Gas  Company.  As  soon  as  I  arrived  home  I  hunted  up 
the  inspector  to  ascertain  what  was  going  on,  and  I  wis  very 
agreeably  disappointed.  I  found  the  inspector,  as  far  as  I 
could  ascertain,  to  be  unobjectionable.  I  told  him  frankly 
that  all  I  wanted  was  a  square  deal,  and  he  told  me  just  as 
frankly  that  all  I  would  get  would  be  a  square  deal,  so  we 


131 

were  mutually  satisfied  at  once.  That  was  the  last  I  saw  of 
him  until  his  inspection  was  completed,  and  his  public  report  I 
considered  a  very  handsome  testimonial  for  the  Company.  He 
had  inspected  a  large  number  of  meters  (anyone  who  wanted 
a  meter  inspected  could  have  it  done  )  and  found  some  slow 
and  some  fast,  but  the  average  was  satisfactory.  The  crucial 
test  was  made  on  the  street  lamps.  We  had  an  ordinance 
which  required  five  cubic  foot  burners  ;  his  tests  showed  that 
some  burned  a  little  less  and  some  a  little  more,  but  the  aver- 
age was  slightly  above  ordinance  requirements.  The  gentle- 
man who  did  that  work  was  then  only  an  ordinary  inspector, 
but  since  then  he  has  rapidly  advanced  and  been  the  President 
of  the  Western  Gas  Association.  I  refer  to  Mr.  Thomas  D. 
Miller,  whose  report  proved  to  be  one  of  the  best  things  which 
ever  happened  for  our  Company.  I  think  the  keynote  on  this 
subject  was  struck  when  someone  said  that  all  we  want  is  an 
honest  inspection.  If  we  can  get  that  we  are  all  right  in  any 
of  our  companies.  I  only  mention  this  actual  experience  to 
show  what  might  happen  with  unfair  treatment. 

MR.  A.  E.  FORSTALI,  (New  York  City):  In  regard  to 
agreeing  on  a  uniform  system  of  inspection,  I  think  before  we 
can  agree  to  a  uniform  system  for  testing  illuminating  value, 
we  must  first  agree  on  what  is  the  illuminating  value  of  any 
particular  gas.  In  London,  which  was  probably  the  first  city 
to  put  the  gas  companies  under  a  rigid  system  of  inspection, 
they  are  now,  after  thirty  years  of  that  inspection,  still  fight- 
ing over  the  question  of  what  is  the  true  illuminating  value 
of  any  particular  gas.  The  subject  has  been  referred  to  a 
committee  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Trade,  which  is  investi- 
gating the  whole  subject  of  gas  testing  in  London,  and  which 
will  make  its  report  and  recommendations  as  to  changes  in  the 
existing  system.  If,  after  30  years'  experience  in  gas  testing, 
they  have  not  yet  worked  out  what  they  consider  a  satisfac- 
tory, uniform  system  for  illuminating  value,  we  can  hardly 
hope  to  settle  the  question  in  this  meeting. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Shelton):  Are  there  any  further 
remarks  on  this  subject? 


132 

MR.  THOMAS  D.  MILLER  (New  Orleans,  La.):  Since  my 
name  has  been  mentioned  here,  as  having  been  on  both  sides 
of  the  fence,  I  will  say  that  I  believe  that  the  sole  object  of 
any  testing  is  to  satisfy  the  consumer  that  he  is  getting  what 
he  is  paying  for  and  that,  if  nothing  but  a  public  official  in- 
spection would  satisfy  him,  that  would  be  the  eventual  solu- 
tion of  the  problem  ;  but  my  experience  is  that  if  a  customer 
is  taken  properly  in  hand  and  conducted  through  the  intrica- 
cies of  the  business  up  to  the  inspection  of  the  quality  of  the 
gas,  that  it  is  not  a  difficult  matter  to  satisfy  him  ;  some  may 
think  if  that  is  done  with  small  customers  it  would  be  much 
more  expensive  than  the  maintenance  of  a  public  gas  inspec- 
tor, but  that  is  not  the  case.  The  number  of  consumers  who 
are  not  satisfied,  when  it  comes  down  to  the  fact  of  the  mat- 
ter, are  really  very  few.  I  have  used  very  successfully,  and 
am  using  to-day,  a  large  number  of  recording  or  clock  meters. 
Of  course,  everyone  is  familiar  with  the  clock  meter,  and  I 
am  only  going  to  refer  to  the  use  I  make  of  it.  The  clock 
meter  not  only  checks  the  house  meter,  but  shows  that  its 
registration  is  correct  on  an  actual  consumption,  which  to  the 
consumer  is  much  more  satisfactory  than  a  test  on  a  prover 
with  air,  and  it  also  shows  him  exactly  when  he  used  the  gas. 
It  is  often  a  revelation  to  him  to  find  the  number  of  hours  in 
which  his  gas  is  being  burned.  A  case,  which  is  quite  apro- 
pos to  this  discussion,  came  up  a  short  while  ago.  A  drug 
store  had  cut  out  electric  light  and  was  using  two  gas  arc 
lamps,  and  the  druggist's  bill  was  about  double  what  it  had 
been.  It  was  getting  along  into  Spring  and  he  did  not  under- 
stand it.  I  put  a  clock  meter  on  for  a  week  and  had  him 
come  to  the  office.  I  told  him  he  opened  his  store  at  7  o'clock 
and  closed  at  about  u  o'clock,  and  that  he  burned  his  arc 
lamps  all  day  ;  showed  him  for  the  hours  when  the  store  was 
shut,  the  amount  of  consumption  on  the  pilot  lights  on  the 
two  lamps,  and  I  told  him  I  Was  gratified  to  see  the  arc  lamps 
were  using  such  a  small  quantity  of  gas.  The  test  carried 
him  away  with  admiration  at  the  exactness  of  it,  and  he  said 
that  he  not  only  used  these  two  lamps  all  day,  but  that  he 
burned  a  common  jet  behind  the  prescription  desk  all  day. 
He  asked  how  much  it  cost  an  hour  for  the  two  arc  lamps.  I 


13,'} 

explained  the  matter  to  him  and  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  ; 
and  I  am  thinking  of  having  a  photo-engraving  made  of  that 
card  for  advertising  purposes.  It  is  a  perfect  record  of  the 
operation  of  the  meter  and  checked  perfectly  with  his  house 
meter. 

In  one  of  my  experiences  in  a  small  place,  we  had  a  Mayor 
who  was  always  looking  for  something  for  political  clap-trap, 
and  he  got  it  into  his  head  that  there  should  be  a  gas  inspector 
in  the  city.  In  conversing  with  him  on  matters  concerning 
the  gas  company,  he  said  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  that 
the  city  must  have  a  gas  inspector  so  that  the  people  would 
know  they  were  getting  what  they  paid  for.  I  told  him  we 
would  be  very  glad  to  have  one.  He  wanted  to  know  why, 
and  I  told  him  because  the  greatest  difficulty  we  had  in  the 
world  was  in  settling  disputes  about  gas  bills,  and  that,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  90  per  cent,  of  the  meters  that  were  wrong 
were  slow,  and  that  if  we  had  a  public  inspector  his  certificate 
as  to  the  amount  the  meter  was  slow  would  be  prima  facie 
evidence  on  which  we  could  go  into  court  and  collect  our  bill 
for  the  amount  of  gas  not  registered  by  the  slow  meter.  He 
dropped  the  subject  of  an  inspector.  I  had  a  similar  experi- 
ence in  another  place,  and  made  the  same  argument,  and  the 
subject  was  dropped  immediately.  Especially  will  this  be  the 
case  where  it  is  prompted  by  the  desire  to  produce  political 
fireworks.  After  all,  it  conies  down  to  the  old  advertising 
catch-phrase, — "  a  satisfied  customer  is  the  best  advocate." 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Shelton):  Before  asking  Mr.  Copley 
to  make  such  reply  to  the  discussion  as  he  desires,  it  seems  to 
me  we  should  hear  from  our  honorary  members.  We  ought 
to  get  some  information  from  our  honorary  members  every 
chance  we  get  !  While  this  Congress  has  no  honorary  mem- 
bers as  yet,  I  have  no  doubt  that,  following  the  example  of 
other  similar  bodies,  we  shall  undoubtedly  have  them,  and 
that  Mr.  Forrest  E.  Barker,  one  of  the  Gas  and  Electric  Light 
Commissioners  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  will  be  an  hon- 
orary member  of  this  Congress  !  In  any  event  we  would  like 
to  hear  from  Mr.  Barker  on  this  subject. 


134 

MR.  COPLEY:  May  I  ask  Mr.  Barker  to  answer  Mr. 
Thompson  about  the  penalties  of  Massachusetts  ? 

MR.  FORREST  E.  BARKER  (Boston,  Mass.):  As  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  I  had 
thought  that  after  the  very  flattering  reference  to  the  admin- 
istration of  that  State  in  regard  to  gas  inspection  matters, 
there  might  be  no  reason  why  I  should  take  the  time  of  the 
Congress  for  any  further  explanation,  but  your  presiding 
officer  seldom  misses  an  opportunity  to  call  me  up. 

•We  have  been  trying  to  work  out  a  certain  kind  of  referee- 
ship  between  the  companies  and  the  public  in  Massachusetts 
now  for  a  long  time  and  in  a  great  many  directions ;  promi- 
nent among  all  of  them  is  the  system  of  gas  inspection  and  of 
meter  inspection  to  which  reference  has  been  so  extensively 
made.  A  word  or  two  more  in  respect  to  it  may  not  be  out  of 
place. 

We  think  our  experience  has  demonstrated  the  great 
advantages  of  a  State  system  of  inspection  over  any  local  or 
municipal  system.  We  have  never  had  anything  but  a  State 
system.  There  have  been  attempts  to  create  a  local  municipal 
system  at  different  times.  Not  long  ago  in  one  of  the  larger 
cities  we  had  an  instance  of  the  uneasiness  which  arises 
occasionally  in  a  local  government,  where  they  thought  they 
wanted  an  independent  inspector  of  gas  for  their  city,  and  so 
they  selected  for  that  purpose  a  man  who  had  the  extremely 
burdensome  duty  of  local  inspector  of  vinegar,  and  he  knew 
as  much  about  gas  as  he  did  about  the  most  unusual  calling 
you  could  mention,  and  no  more,  and  the  thing  about  which 
that  local  municipality  was  especially  concerned  was  the 
amount  of  carbonic  oxide  in  the  gas  and  that  is  what  they 
wanted  him  to  discover.  That  just  illustrates  the  tendency 
which  might  exist  in  the  attempt  to  have  local  gas  inspection. 
In  having  State  inspection  we  have  three  men  who  spend  all 
of  their  time  in  the  inspection  of  gas  or  gas  meters.  These 
men  are  all  graduates  of  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology ;  they  are  specialists  in  chemistry,  having  taken  the 
course  in  that  branch  at  the  Institute,  so  that  they  are 
equipped  in  every  way  to  command  the  confidence  of  the  com- 


135 

pany  as  well  as  of  the  public.  The  chief  inspector  has  been 
engaged  in  this  work  for  a  number  of  years  ;  the  assistants  only 
for  somewhat  shorter  periods.  These  men  inspect  all  of  the 
gas  of  all  of  the  companies  in  the  State,  and  with  such  fre- 
quency as  you  heard  described  in  the  paper.  The  inspecting 
in  the  larger  companies  is  done  upon  a  bar  photometer,  which 
is  located  in  some  suitable  place  in  the  city  where  the  gas  is 
made.  In  the  smaller  companies  the  inspecting  is  done  upon 
a  portable  bar  photometer  of  a  type  invented  or  constructed 
by  our  chief  inspector,  which  can  be  readily  transported  since 
it  folds  in  the  shape  and  size  of  an  ordinary  traveling  trunk. 
It  has  to  be  made  especially  strong  to  endure  the  transporta- 
tion, and  the  life  of  a  contrivance  of  that  kind  is  only  two  or 
three  years,  but  it  answers  the  purpose  admirably  and  can 
be  set  up  in  any  public  house,  or  on  the  premises  of  the 
company. 

As  to  the  frequency  of  the  tests,  there  has  been  within  the 
last  two  years  vested  in  our  Board  a  discretion  which  allows 
us  to  inspect  the  gas  more  frequently  than  before,  and  the 
number  of  inspections  named  in  the  paper  read  by  Mr.  Copley 
is  the  minimum  number  that  can  be  made.  That  law  was  put 
into  its  present  shape  largely  because  there  are  certain  com- 
panies in  the  State  so  small  that  they  are  only  inspected  twice 
a  year,  and  if  it  happened  that  the  inspector  came  at  an  un- 
usual time — he  always  comes  unexpectedly — their  gas  might 
be  below  the  standard,  below  the  ordinary  conditions,  and  the 
inspection  was  unfair  to  the  company,  and  did  not  give,  in 
fact,  to  the  public  in  that  locality  a  fair  indication  of  the  gas 
they  were  using.  It  was  to  give  a  fairer  opportunity  for 
ascertaining  more  accurately  what  was  the  usual  value  of  the 
gas  that  the  change  was  made.  It  also  meets  the  other  sug- 
gestion that  has  been  made,  that  if  gas  was  only  inspected 
once  a  week,  having  been  inspected  on  Monday,  perhaps,  the 
chances  were  that  the  rest  of  the  week  it  might  be  poor. 

With  respect  to  the  penalties  about  which  inquiry  has  been 
made,  there  is  no  penalty  for  a  single  misfeasance — there  must 
either  be  three  consecutive  instances  where  the  gas  is  below 
the  standard,  or  there  must  be  three  instances  within  thirty 
consecutive  days.  You  will  see,  with  respect  to  the  second 


136 

alternative,  that  the  gas  of  a  large  company  might  be  in- 
spected every  week — that  would  be  four  times,  perchance  five 
times,  within  thirty  days,  and  there  might  be  no  three  con- 
secutive instances  where  it  fell  below  the  standard,  but  there 
might  be  three  instances  within  the  thirty  days,  which  would 
make  the  company  liable  to  a  penalty. 

Now,  we  have  been  carrying  on  this  work  with  a  great  deal 
of  satisfaction  to  the  public  and  the  companies,  I  think,  in 
spite  of  the  controversies  referred  to  and  in  spite  of  the  debate 
as  to  whether  we  ought  to  use  the  sperm  candle  or  some  other 
standard.  The  fact  is  that  any  system  of  inspection  of  a  public 
character  must  have  for  its  standards  those  which  receive  the 
public  commendation.  The  advantage  of  the  whole  thing  is 
to  give  to  the  public  an  idea  of  the  kind  of  service  the}7  are 
receiving  from  the  companies.  They  fully  understand  it  only 
when  the  result  is  expressed  in  terms  with  which  they  are 
familiar. 

We  inspect,  not  only  for  candle-power,  but  also  for  impuri- 
ties. Our  inspectors  look  for  sulphur,  ammonia  and  sulphu- 
retted hydrogen.  The  law  fixes  the  limit  of  20  grains  of 
sulphur  in  every  100  cubic  feet  of  gas  and  10  grains  of  am- 
monia. If  there  is  any  sulphuretted  hydrogen  that  comes  in 
for  criticism,  whether  it  be  little  or  much,  we  do  not  under- 
take to  determine  the  amount  of  it,  but  as  to  whether  or  not 
it  is  present.  I  find  that  the  companies  in  Massachusetts  rely 
very  largely — too  largely,  perhaps — upon  the  information 
which  they  receive  from  the  Board  to  discover  what  quality  of 
gas  they  are  making.  It  is  our  practice,  since  the  purpose  of 
our  administration  is  not  to  punish  companies,  but  to  secure  the 
best  kind  of  administration  on  their  part,  to  send  them  imme- 
diately after  the  inspection  a  statement  of  the  result.  If  the 
gas  is  inspected  to-day,  to-morrow  the  company  receives  a 
postal  card  stating  just  what  candle  power  was  found.  The 
determination  of  the  amount  of  sulphur  and  ammonia  is  made 
later.  A  sample  of  the  gas  is  taken  to  the  laboratory  of  the 
Board,  and  once  a  week  the  determination  of  sulphurs  and 
ammonias  is  made  at  that  place  and  then  the  information  is  at 
once  sent  to  the  companies  concerned.  If  there  is  any  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen  in  the  gas,  the  information  about  that  is 


137 

sent  at  the  same  time  the  information  is  sent  about  candle- 
power,  because  that  determination  is  so  easily  made. 

With  respect  to  the  amount  of  the  penalty,  that  is  a  fixed 
figure,  a  fine  of  $100.  It  is  payable  to  the  municipality  within 
which  the  Company  does  business  and  may  be  collected  by  the 
representatives  of  the  city  or  town.  The  number  of  instances, 
taking  all  the  companies  in  the  State,  which  occur  in  any  one 
year  are  very  few.  I  do  not  think  I  can  tell  you  how  few, 
but  frequently  not  over  a  dozen  in  all  of  the  companies  in  the 
State  in  a  whole  year.  There  are  periods  when,  as  in  the  last 
couple  of  years,  there  has  been  extraordinary  trouble  about 
coal,  and  the  cases  of  sulphur  and  sulphuretted  hydrogen  have 
been  rather  more  numerous  than  usual,  but  that  condition  is 
now  being  met  by  modifications  in  the  method  of  purification. 

I  do  not  know  that  there  is  anything  more  with  which  I 
ought  to  take  the  time  of  the  Congress.  I  might,  however, 
refer  to  the  matter  of  meter  testing.  The  testing  of  meters  is 
for  the  most  part  done  by  two  men,  not  the  men  to  whom  I 
have  already  referred.  Those  men  are  principally  engaged  in 
inspecting  gas,  and  only  test  meters  on  emergency  calls,  that 
is  to  say,  when  there  is  an  unusual  amount  of  work  which 
demands  prompt  attention.  The  fees  for  the  testing  of  meters, 
however,  pay  the  expenses  of  the  entire  inspection  department. 
Our  expenses  last  year  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  $11,000. 
We  pay  to  our  chief  inspector  $2,500  per  year  ;  the  first  assist- 
ant inspector,  $1,500  per  year;  second  assistant  inspector, 
$1,200  per  year,  and  we  pay  the  two  inspectors  of  meters  about 
$1,000  a  year  each.  The  other  expenses  are  traveling 
expenses.  The  twenty-five  cent  fee  for  the  smaller  meters 
and  a  somewhat  larger  fee  for  larger  meters,  according  to 
their  size,  pay  the  entire  expenses  of  the  department,  and  we 
have  a  balance  of  $600  or  $700  a  year,  which  goes  into  the 
treasury  of  the  State  and  is  used  to  reduce  the  other  taxes  of 
the  companies.  With  respect  to  the  method  of  testing  meters, 
we  do  the  great  bulk  of  the  meter  testing  at  the  factory  where 
the  meters  are  made..  We  have  a  meter  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment in  Massachusetts,  which  does  the  most  of  the  supply 
and  repair  business  in  the  State  ;  the  owners  are  very  courteous 
to  us  and  provide  us  with  a  room  at  their  works  with  the 


138 

necessary  provers,  and  we  have  our  two  men  working  there 
nearly  all  the  time.  They  also  provide  us  with  a  power 
method  of  manipulating  the  meter  provers,  so  that  our  men 
test  a  large  number  of  meters  every  day.  Our  men  at  the 
works  will  test  on  an  average  of  150  to  175  three  or  five-light 
meters  in  a  day  and  the  larger  sizes,  of  course,  in  proportion. 
If  the  meters  are  bought  out  of  the  State  they  are  shipped  by 
the  manufacturers  to  the  office  of  the  Gas  Company,  and  we 
send  a  man  there  to  inspect  them.  Every  company  above  a  cer- 
tain size  is  required  to  have  on  its  premises  meter  provers  that 
have  been  tested  by  our  department  so  we  can  go  there  and  exam- 
ine the  meters  that  are  bought  from  manufacturers  outside  of 
the  State.  All  repaired  meters  must  under  our  law  be  re-tested 
and  re-sealed  before  they  can  be  re-set.  As  in  the  case  of  the 
new  meters,  the  bulk  of  the  repaired  meters  are  found  at  the 
factory.  Of  course,  the  meters  that  come  into  the  State  from 
other  manufacturers  are  repaired  by  them,  if  they  need  repair- 
ing, and  they  are  returned  to  the  office  of  the  Gas  Company 
and  inspected  there  by  our  inspectors  the  same  as  they  would 
inspect  the  new  meters. 

MR.  THOMAS  D.  MILLER  (New  Orleans,  La.)  :  Is  there 
any  difference  in  the  penalty  in  case  the  quality  of  the  gas  is 
not  up  to  the  requirements,  provided  that  poor  quality  is  the 
result  of  some  casualty  at  the  plant  ? 

MR.  BARKER  :  There  has  always  been  a  discretion  in  respect 
to  the  enforcement  of  the  penalties.  When  we  find  a  com- 
pany has  become  liable  to  a  penalty  upon  the  face  of  the 
returns,  we  do  not  proceed  immediately  to  the  imposition  of 
the  penalty.  We  report  the  matter  to  the  Attorney-General 
of  the  Commonwealth  and  he  exercises  his  discretion.  We 
are  obliged,  at  the  same  time  that  we  notify  the  Attorney- 
General,  to  notify  the  Company,  and  they  are  perfectly  com- 
petent to  look  after  their  interests  in  the  Attorney- General's 
office.  I  have  never  known  the  collection  of  a  fine  where  the 
circumstances  were  such  as  Mr.  Miller's  question  implies.  If 
the  Attorney-General  believes  that  the  penalty  should  be 
enforced  he  sends  a  communication  to  the  local  authorities, 
the  town  or  city  counsellor,  the  attorney  who  looks  after  their 


139 

affairs,  and  in  that  way  the  Company  is  obliged  to  make  its 
peace  with  the  local  authorities. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Shelton)  :  I  am  sure  the  applause 
which  has  greeted  Mr.  Barker's  remarks  is  the  best  appreci- 
ation we  can  tender  to  him  of  our  thanks  for  his  remarks. 
Those  of  us  who  become  interested  in  this  subject  in  the  future 
can,  by  turning  to  the  record  of  his  remarks,  no  doubt  get  a 
great  deal  of  information  of  very  much  value. 

MR.  BARKER  :  I  will  supplement  my  remarks  by  saying 
that  we  shall  be  glad  to  answer  any  correspondence  at  our 
office  on  this  or  any  other  line.  We  have  a  great  many 
inquiries  from  managers  throughout  the  country — I  may  say 
throughout  the  world — and  we  are  always  pleased  to  answer 
inquiries  and  to  give  the  best  information  which  is  at  our 
command. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Shelton)  :  I  will  ask  Mr.  Copley  to 
close  the  discussion  on  this  paper. 

MR.  COPLEY  :  In  answer  to  the  statement  of  Mr.  Shelton 's 
personal  experience,  if  I  may  be  permitted  to  make  a  sugges- 
tion, I  will  suggest  that  he  do  as  I  have  done — apply  to  the 
Massachusetts  Commission  and  turn  over  their  records  to  the 
municipal  authorities,  and  if  they  will  spend  one  minute's 
time  in  looking  over  these  records,  you  will  be  amply  rewarded 
for  the  trouble  taken ,  as  anyone  who  will  give  the  records  an 
impartial  study  will  be  convinced. 

Regarding  the  question  asked  by  the  gentleman  from  Phila- 
delphia, Mr.  Barker  covered  the  point  relative  to  the  penalties. 

Regarding  Mr.  A.  S.  Miller's  objection,  as  we  all  know,  he 
represents  one  of  the  six  largest  systems  in  this  country.  It 
is  practically  impossible  to  have  an  arrangement  that  is  going 
to  be  satisfactory  and  equitable  without  being  too  expensive, 
unless  the  companies  in  the  larger  cities  bear  a  small  part  of  the 
burden  of  the  small  cities,  just  as  the  U.  S.  Government  recog- 
nizes that  principle  in  its  postal  laws.  I  will  guarantee  that  the 
U.S.  Government  can  deliver  any  letter  mailed  to  a  citizen  in  the 
city  of  Baltimore  for  a  half  cent.  I  am  willing  to  make  that  guar- 
antee, and  yet  if  you  want  to  deliver  a  letter  from  a  citizen  of  Bal- 


140 

timore  to  a  citizen  of  San  Francisco,  theU.  S.  Government  will 
lose  money  on  it,  yet  they  charge  two  cents  for  each  letter 
delivered  in  Baltimore  for  the  purpose  of  making  uniform  laws 
throughout  the  country,  and  for  the  reason  that  it  works  no 
great  hardship.  This  question  of  making  State  inspections 
involves  that  same  principle. 

I  should  like  to  supplement  Mr.  Barker's  remarks  by  stating 
it  was  my  good  fortune  at  one  time  to  have  studied  law.  I 
know  that  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts  are  held  up 
to  every  law  student  as  being  models  of  their  kind  in  this  coun- 
try ;  and  after  spending  several  months  studying  the  reports 
on  this  subject  of  inspection  as  practiced  in  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts, I  want  to  say  that  I  believe  these  regulations  are  far 
and  away  in  advance  of  any  and  everything  of  a  similar  char- 
acter in  this  country  at  the  present  time. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Norris)  :  We  are  greatly  indebted 
to  these  gentlemen  for  these  papers,  and  I  am  sure  that  a  vote 
of  appreciation  for  the  papers  which  have  been  read  at  this 
session  is  in  order. 

MR.  PAUL  THOMPSON  (Philadelphia,  Pa.)  :  Mr.  Chairman, 
I  move  that  the  hearty  thanks  of  the  Congress  be  extended  to 
Messrs.  Shelton  and  Copley  for  the  very  valuable  papers  which 
they  have  presented  to  the  Congress. 

(  The  motion  was  duly  carried.) 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Norris) :  I  will  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  to-morrow  the  program  will  be  particularly  interest- 
ing, including  a  paper  on  "  Gas  Association  Work,"  by  Henry 
L.  Doherty,  New  York  City,  and  one  on  "Station  Meters," 
by  Donald  McDonald,  Albany,  N.  Y.  In  addition  to  these 
there  are  two  other  subjects  down  for  discussion,  one  on  the 
proper  size  of  retort  to  be  used  in  carbonizing  gas  coal,  and  the 
other  on  the  ventilation  of  retort  houses.  The  session  will  be 
from  ten  o'clock  until  two  o'clock,  and  we  would  particularly 
like  to  have  everyone  present  promptly,  as  the  first  paper  will 
be  Mr.  Doherty 's,  and  will  undoubtedly  be  very  interesting. 


••• 


141 
THURSDAY'S    SESSION. 

Mr.  Norris  called  the  meeting  to  order  at  10:40  o'clock  and 
said  : 

We  will  start  the  proceedings  this  morning  with  a  discussion 
on  the  ventilation  of  retort  houses.  This  is  one  of  our  extra 
topics,  wrhich  we  wish  to  work  in  here,  and  it  will  be  started 
by  Mr.  Alfred  Lotz,  of  Chicago,  one  of  our  new  members. 

Before  calling  on  Mr.  Lotz  to  start  this  discussion,  I  wish  to 
turn  the  meeting  over  to  the  President  of  another  of  the  Asso- 
ciations taking  part  in  this  Congress.  We  have  had  the 
Presidents  of  the  American,  of  the  Western  and  of  the  Ohio 
Associations  presiding  at  the  Congress,  and  we  now  propose  to 
have  the  meeting  presided  over  by  the  President  of  another 
District  Association,  and  I  present  to  you  Mr.  W.  A.  Aldrich, 
the  President  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Gas  Association. 

MR.  ALDRICH  :  Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Con- 
gress of  Gas  Associations  of  America  :  Before  proceeding  to 
the  business  of  this  morning's  session,  I  desire,  in  behalf  of 
the  Pacific  Coast  Gas  Association,  to  extend  to  the  gentlemen 
present  our  most  hearty  greetings  for  your  future  welfare  and 
the  success  of  this  Congress. 

This  is  not  a  time  for  speech-making,  so  without  any  further 
preface,  I  will  call  upon  Mr.  Alfred  Lotz,  of  Chicago,  who 
will  open  the  discussion  on  the  subject  of  "The  Ventilation 
of  Retort  Houses." 

Mr.  Lotz  read  the  following  paper  : 

THE  VENTILATION  OF  RETORT  HOUSES. 

Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Congress :  Mr. 
Shelton,  in  his  paper  of  yesterday,  referred  somewhat  to  the. 
necessity  of  providing  for  the  comfort  of  the  men  who  work 
in  the  retort  houses,  and  in  the  discussion  that  followed, 
Mr.  Searle  touched  upon  a  subject  which,  if  I  am  correctly 
informed,  has  been  a  great  menace  to  the  gas  people  generally 
and  one  that  is  receiving  rather  too  little  consideration — that 
subject  being  the  ventilation  of  retort  houses. 

The  various  branches  of  engineering  each  have  their  particu- 
lar and  peculiar  problems  to  be  solved.  Some  of  these  peculiar 


142 

problems  are  solved  in  different  ways  by  different  engineers 
under  whose  notice  they  chance  to  come,  as  follows  : 

Some  figure  out  to  a  nicety  just  what  size  and  style  of 
apparatus  is  going  to  give  them  the  best  results,  basing  their 
assumptions  and  calculations  on  theory.  Others  will  make  a 
guess  at  wrhat  they  think  looks  plausible,  and  should  do  the 
work,  and  the  last  class  of  engineers  base  their  calculations  on 
extensive  practical  experience  coupled  with  theory,  and  a 
large  percentage  of  that  valuable  factor  in  all  branches  known 
as  "  common  horse  sense."  This  latter  is  the  class  of  engin- 
eers the  world  over  that  is  most  successful. 

I  have  been  directly  connected  with  the  various  branches  of 
engineering,  including  electric,  mechanical,  hydraulic  and  at 
present  with  pneumatic,  as  pertaining  to  heating,  ventilating 
and  drying,  and  in  no  branch  is  that  valuable  factor 
"  experience  "  more  necessary  than  in  heating  and  ventilating 
engineering.  In  the  ventilating  branch  especially  is  it  a  sad 
but  true  fact  that  the  great  majority  of  so-called  engineers  are 
prone  to  make  definite  assertions  with  a  bold  front,  with  no 
actual  experience  or  knowledge  to  back  them  up,  and  in  lay- 
ing out  a  ventilating  plant  for  a  specific  purpose  will  rely  entirely 
on  their  ability  to  make  a  good  guess,  and,  as  a  natural  con- 
sequence, invariably  come  to  grief,  both  as  regards  themselves 
and  the  customer. 

The  problem  of  ventilating  a  building  used  for  any  specific 
purpose  is  rather  more  complicated  than  would  appear  on  the 
surface.  It  is  easy  enough  for  an  engineer  to  say,  an  air 
change  of  once  every  minute  or  two  minutes  will  give  the 
proper  results,  but  that  is  not  all  that  must  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration. For  instance,  suppose  you  have  a  large  kitchen 
with  ranges  which  are  generating  considerable  steam,  there  is 
really  no  way  to  figure  out  a  ventilating  plant  on  any  pre- 
scribed formula,  and  it  resolves  itself  into  a  matter  of  experi- 
ence only  as  to  how  often  the  air  should  be  changed  to  give 
the  proper  results. 

Again,  we  have  a  large  paper  and  pulp  mill.  Here,  at  least, 
we  have  a  definite  basis  for  our  calculations.  We  know  how 
many  tons  of  dry  material  they  wish  to  produce  per  day  of  24 
hours.  We  know  what  percentage  of  water  this  material 


143 

holds  when  in  a  wet  state,  and  also  how  much  is  evaporated 
per  hour,  which,  in  even  an  average  mill,  is  quite  consider- 
able. On  cold  days  especially  this  moisture  condenses  as  soon 
as  it  is  formed,  and  the  entire  room  is  filled  with  a  vapor  so 
that  one  cannot  see  a  distance  of  four  feet.  To  try  and 
remove  this  vapor  by  means  of  a  fan  only  is  almost  a  practical 
impossibility,  and  it  is  consequently  necessary  to  blow  heated 
air  into  the  room  in  such  quantities  that  the  moisture  will  be 
taken  up  and  held  in  suspension  by  same,  then  by  means  of  a 
ventilating  fan,  connected  with  hoods  over  the  machines,  the 
moisture-laden  air  is  removed  from  the  building,  the  moisture 
becoming  a  vapor  the  instant  it  comes  in  contact  with  the  out- 
side air.  By  this  means  the  atmosphere  in  the  room  is  kept 
practically  clear. 

Every  gas  house  manager  and  superintendent  is  only  too 
familiar  with  the  very  objectionable  features  connected  with 
the  old-time  method  of  quenching  hot  coke  from  the  retorts, 
the  delay  in  handling  the  coke  when  quenched,  the  deterio- 
ration of  iron  work  in  the  building,  and  the  danger  to  the 
working  force,  as  well  as  the  inefficiency  of  same,  all  due  to 
the  accumulation  of  steam  and  gases  arising  from  the  coke, 
and  the  inability  to  get  rid  of  it  in  anything  like  a  reasonable 
time. 

Many  schemes  have  been  resorted  to  in  order  to  overcome 
this  difficulty,  but  none  of  the  older  forms  have  given  any- 
thing like  desirable  results.  In  retort  houses  where  half 
depth  benches  are  used  and  the  coke  is  drawn  directly  on  to 
the  charging  floor  and  quenched,  the  natural  ventilation  due 
to  a  high  roof  is  depended  on,  and  if  external  atmospheric 
conditions  are  favorable  the  results  may  be  more  or  less  satis- 
factory. But  where  either  half  depth  or  full  depth  benches 
are  used  in  connection  with  a  separate  charging  floor,  the  coke 
being  deposited  underneath  this  floor  and  quenched  there,  the 
ventilation  becomes  a  very  serious  matter.  I  have  been  in 
some  plants  where  this  room  was  connected  with  large  stacks 
running  up  through  the  charging  floor  and  through  the  roof 
above  ;  another  had  a  trough  suspended  at  the  ceiling,  and 
this  trough  was  connected  with  a  large  steel  plate  fan,  the 
trough,  of  course,  having  a  certain  number  of  openings  to  act 


144 

as  in-takes  for  the  system.  Another  plant  had  a  large  disc 
ventilating  fan  placed  at  one  end  of  the  retort  house  under- 
neath the  charging  floor.  This  fan  was  6'  in  diameter,  and 
when  running  at  300  r.  p.  m.  was  handling  63,000  cu.  ft.  of 
air  per  minute,  requiring  8  h.  p.  in  engine  capacity  to  drive 
it.  This  latter  was  the  best  arrangement,  as  far  as  results 
were  concerned,  and  it  may  be  interesting,  to  give  it  a  little 
closer  attention.  This  fan  was  installed  in  the  retort  house  of 
the  Minneapolis  Gas  Light  Company  of  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
There  were  22  benches  of  nines,  the  entire  stack  being  n 
benches  long  and  2  benches  deep,  the  benches  being  placed 
back  to  back.  The  room  below  the  charging  floor  was  180' 
long,  65'  wide  and  n'  high,  making  a  total  of  about  130,000 
cu.  ft.;  allowing  for  the  space  occupied  by  the  stack,  which 
amounted  to  33,000  cu.  ft.,  we  have  left  97,000  cu.  ft.  The 
fan  capacity,  as  above  stated,  was  63,000  cu.  ft.  per  minute. 
This  would  give  an  air  change  of  once  in  every  minute  and  a 
half,  approximately.  The  natural  conclusion  would  be  that 
the  room  ought  to  be  perfectly  free  from  steam  and  gases  in  a 
minute  and  a  half  after  the  quenching  was  completed.  The 
actual  results,  however,  were  far  from  that,  the  reason  being 
that  there  were  always  more  or  less  windows  and  doors  open 
near  the  fan  and  the  air  would  rush  in  from  these,  supplying 
the  fan  with  all  the  air  it  could  handle  and  short  circuiting 
that  part  of  the  room  which  really  needed  the  ventilation 
most. 

The  only  possible  way  to  have  accomplished  a  complete  re- 
moval of  the  steam  would  have  been  to  have  the  air  replacing 
that  which  was  exhausted  by  the  fan  enter  at  the  farthest 
point  from  the  fan  and  keep  all  the  windows  and  doors,  as 
well  as  all  openings  between  rooms  underneath  and  above 
charging  floor  closed,  which,  of  course,  is  not  to  be  thought 
of  in  a  retort  house. 

We  will  now  take  up  a  ventilating  system  recently  devised 
by  a  firm  of  ventilating  engineers  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  and 
which  has  proven  to  exceed  all  expectations  of  both  the  engi- 
neers and  of  the  gas  companies  in  whose  plants  it  was 
installed. 

About  October  or  November  of  last  year  the  Detroit  Gas 


145 

Co.,  Mr.  Tippy,  Supt.,  laid  the  proposition  of  ventilating 
their  retort  house  before  the  engineers  in  question,  and  the 
problem  was  gone  over  and  looked  into  very  carefully.  At 
about  the  same  time  they  also  received  a  request  from  Mr. 
Douglas,  manager  of  the  Ann  Arbor  Gas  Co.,  asking  them  to 
look  into  the  subject  as  pertaining  to  their  plant. 

There  were  many  questions  which  presented  themselves, 
and  I  dare  say,  with  all  the  vast  experience  they  have  had 
along  other  lines  of  manufacturing  plants,  the  proposition  of 
ventilating  a  gas  retort  house  successfully  was  an  experiment 
with  them,  as  well  as  with  the  gas  company.  There  are  two 
systems  installed,  one  in  the  Detroit  plant  and  the  other  in 
the  Ann  Arbor  plant.  In  actual  principle  the  plants  are  the 
same,  though  in  construction  they  differ  very  materially,  and 
I  will  give  only  a  description  of  the  one  at  Detroit,  which  was 
finally  decided  on  as  the  standard  of  design  and  construction 
for  all  future  plants. 

Underneath  the  charging  floor  and  running  the  full  length 
of  the  stack  is  suspended  a  hopper  made  of  reinforced  con- 
crete construction  and  heavy  structural  and  sheet  steel.  This 
hopper  is  suspended  from  the  "  I  "  beams  forming  a  part  of 
the  construction  of  the  charging  floor.  About  6  ft.  of  head 
room  is  left  between  the  bottom  of  the  hopper  and  the  floor 
of  the  coke  discharge  room.  The  front  of  this  hopper  is  pro- 
vided with  heavy  sheet  steel  doors,  one  door  for  each  set  of 
retorts,  a  set  constituting  the  retorts  in  the  same  vertical 
plane.  For  each  door  is  furnished  a  water  spray  for  quench- 
ing the  coke.  The  end  farthest  from  the  ventilating  appa- 
ratus is  closed  only  enough  so  as  not  to  allow  the  coke  from 
the  last  set  of  retorts  to  fall  out  of  the  hopper.  At  the  other 
end  of  the  hopper  a  large  heavy  sheet  steel  flue  connects  with 
the  inlet  of  the  ventilating  fan.  From  the  discharge  end  of 
the  fan  a  steel  flue  runs  through  the  outside  wall  of  the  retort 
house,  wrhich  conducts  all  steam  and  gases  arising  from  the 
process  of  quenching  the  coke  into  the  outside  atmosphere. 

The  fan  is  driven  either  by  direct-connected  steam  engine 
or  an  electric  motor.  The  fan  and  engine  can  be  placed  in 
any  convenient  corner  and  out  of  the  way.  In  the  Detroit 
plant  it  is  placed  underneath  the  charging  floor,  whereas  in 


146 

the  Ann  Arbor,  Minneapolis,  and  other  plants,  it  is  placed  in 
one  corner  on  the  charging  floor.  The  question  will  naturally 
arise,  "  How  do  you  know  how  much  steam  and  gas  arise 
from  the  process  of  quenching  hot  coke  with  water,  and  how 
would  the  size  of  the  apparatus  vary  with  the  different  sizes 
of  retort  houses  ? ' '  This  is  a  very  simple  matter  when 
thoroughly  understood  and  leaves  absolutely  no  room  for 
guess  work,  but  resolves  itself  into  a  definite  train  of  calcula- 
tion and  may  be  roughly  summed  up  as  follows  : 

For  example  :  We  will  take  a  stack  consisting  of  a  series 
of  full  depth  benches  of  nines.  The  maximum  amount  of 
coke  that  will  be  drawn  at  any  one  time  will  be  that  taken 
from  three  retorts  of  one  bench,  multiplied  by  the  number 
of  benches,  and  knowing  the  amount  of  coal  charged  into 
each  retort  we  have  the  total  amount  of  coke  discharged.  As 
the  time  consumed  in  quenching  the  coke  is  very  short  com- 
pared to  the  time  elapsing  between  the  drawings,  this  latter 
does  not  come  into  the  calculation.  Coke  leaves  the  retort  at 
a  bright  cherry  red  heat,  which  is  about  1800  degrees  F.,  and 
we  know,  from  definite  engineering  data,  that  it  takes  a  certain 
number  of  heat  units  to  raise  a  pound  of  coal  or  its  equivalent 
in  coke  to  that  temperature,  and  that  this  coke  when  cooling 
will  give  off  the  same  heat  it  has  absorbed.  Taking  the 
specific  heat  of  coke  at  that  temperature  we  can  figure  back 
how  much  water  is  necessary  to  absorb  the  heat  given  off  by 
the  coke.  From  this  we  can  figure  the  number  of  cubic  feet 
of  steam  and  gases  resulting,  and  allowing  a  co-efficient 
deduced  from  expeiience  for  the  additional  air  necessary  to 
absorb  the  moisture,  we  have  the  total  number  of  cubic  feet  of 
gases  to  be  handled  by  the  fan.  The  vacuum  at  which  this 
fan  must  work  is  dependent  entirely  on  local  conditions,  and 
varies  from  Y^'  water  gauge  to  3"  water  gauge,  and  must  be 
figured  to  conform  with  the  individual  layout.  The  power 
required  by  the  fan  is  dependent  on  the  total  number  of  cubic 
feet  of  gases  handled  per  minute  and  on  the  vacuum  necessary 
and  will  vary  any  where  from  6  to  20  h.  p. 

The  operation  of  the  system  is  as  follows :  Just  before 
the  coke  is  drawn  the  fan  is  started  up  and  a  current  of  air 
rushes  through  the  hopper.  The  coke  is  then  drawn  and 


147 

allowed  to  fall  into  the  bottom  of  the  hopper.  Just  before 
drawing  the  coke,  however,  the  water  is  turned  into  the  spray 
pipes.  The  quenching  starts  the  instant  the  hot  coke  and 
water  meet,  and  the  steam  and  gases  arising  in  consequence 
are  canght  by  the  current  of  air  in  the  hopper  and  taken  out 
of  the  building  through  the  fan.  After  the  coke  has  been 
thoroughly  cooled  the  water  is  turned  off  and  the  coke 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  hopper  for  about  five  or  ten  minutes 
while  the  fan  is  still  running.  The  air  now  going  through  the 
hopper  is  perfectly  dry  and  permeates  through  every  particle 
of  coke,  thus  absorbing  all  water  left  and  thoroughly  drying 
out  the  coke,  making  it  marketable  the  minute  it  leaves 
the  hopper,  a  feature  which  has  never  before  been  accom- 
plished, and  one  which  has  saved  hundreds  of  dollars  for  the 
gas  company,  and  would  pay  for  the  installation  of  the  system 
in  a  very  short  time,  thus  making  the  outfit  a  profit-earning 
device. 

Another  valuable  feature  of  this  system  is  the  fact  that  it 
can  be  used  advantageously  in  connection  with  an  automatic 
conveyor  system.  After  the  coke  is  quenched  and  dried  in 
the  hopper  it  is  drawn  out  and  allowed  to  fall  into  the  con- 
veyor, thus  obviating  the  necessity  of  quenching  the  coke 
while  in  the  conveyor  and  thereby  causing  an  undue  deterio- 
ration of  the  conveyor.  This,  in  itself,  is  a  very  important 
factor,  as  a  conveyor  system  is  very  expensive,  and  it  has  been 
stated  to  the  writer  that  some  gas  companies  have  charged  as 
much  as  60  per  cent,  of  the  cost  of  the  conveyor  against  it  for 
depreciation  for  one  year.  From  this  it  is  evident  that  if  a 
conveyor  were  handling  dry  coke  instead  of  being  subjected 
to  the  intense  heat  of  the  coke  as  it  leaves  the  retort  and  then 
to  the  destructive  and  corrosive  action  of  the  hot  steam  and 
gases  due  to  the  quenching,  the  life  of  the  conveyor  will  be 
greatly  prolonged,  its  depreciation  materially  reduced  and  a 
great  saving  for  the  gas  company  will  be  the  result. 

In  concluding  my  remarks  on  this  subject,  I  will  say  that 
in  retort  houses  where  the  coke  is  not  discharged  through  the 
charging  floor,  but  is  deposited  directly  on  it  and  quenched 
there  by  means  of  a  hose  or  by  throwing  water  on  it,  the 
vapors  cannot  be  properly  confined  unless  it  be  by  a  compli- 


348 

cated  system  of  portable  hoods.  The  best  manner  in  which 
to  treat  the  subject  under  these  circumstances  is  to  construct 
a  series  of  hoods  directly  in  front  of  the  benches  and  just 
above  the  highest  charging  door,  and  connect  these  hoods  to 
one  common  flue,  this  in  turn  to  be  connected  with  a  fan 
designed  to  handle  a  large  volume  of  air  at  low  resistance. 
The  suction  of  this  fan  will  have  a  tendency  to  concentrate 
the  steam  and  gases,  also  the  smoke  when  charging,  and 
discharge  them  outside  the  retort  house,  at  the  same  time 
constantly  changing  the  air  in  front  of  the  benches  and 
thereby  producing  at  least  a  fair  ventilation. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Aldrich):  This  is  a  very  interesting 
topic,  and  no  doubt  there  are  others  present  who  can  discuss 
the  subject.  If  so,  we  shall  be  pleased  to  hear  from  them.  I 
will  call  on  Mr.  E.  H.  Earnshaw,  of  Philadelphia,  to  address 
us  on  this  topic. 

MR.  EARNSHAW:  In  Philadelphia  we  have  tried  a  number 
of  methods  for  ventilating  our  retort  houses,  having  been 
much  troubled  with  the  steam  and  gases  in  the  lower  floor  ; 
but  nothing  that  we  have  tried  has  been  successful,  so  that  I 
think  this  paper  is  much  in  line  with  what  we  want  to  know. 
We  have  tried  ventilating  fans,  with  pre-heated  air,  a  system 
installed  by  the  Sturtevant  Company,  theoretically  expected 
to  do  the  work,  but  it  made  very  little  impression  on  the 
situation.  The  air  ducts  leading  to  the  fan  were  made  of 
galvanized  iron  and  lasted  but  a  very  short  time  under  the 
influence  of  the  steam  and  sulphur  vapors  from  the  coke.  In 
the  course  of  a  year  they  all  fell  down  of  themselves.  We 
then  tried  a  system  of  pipes  leading  from  the  lower  floor 
along  the  front  of  the  benches  and  extending  above  the 
hydraulic  main — one  pipe  between  each  two  benches — expect- 
ing that  the  heat  of  the  benches  would  give  us  a  natural  draft 
in  these  standpipes  and  help  to  clear  away  the  steam  from  the 
lower  floor.  A  great  deal  of  steam  seemed  to  come  up  through 
the  pipes,  but  we  did  not  miss  it  down  stairs,  and  that  seems 
to  be  the  trouble.  The  quantity  of  steam,  where  you  are 
drawing  coke  fast  with  drawing  machines,  is  so  enormous 
that  nothing  that  we  have  tried  has  been  able  to  care  for  the 


149 

quantity  of  steam.  In  the  house  that  I  am  speaking  of  we 
have  36  benches  of  nines,  18  on  a  side,  and  we  draw  them 
pretty  fast.  We  draw  42  retorts  in  about  20  minutes,  which 
makes  a  great  deal  of  steam  to  take  care  of. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Aldrich):  We  would  like  to  hear 
from  Mr.  R.  M.  Searle,  of  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

MR.  SEARLE  :  The  scheme  of  ventilating  as  presented  by 
Mr.  Lotz  would  seem  to  me  to  produce  an  ideal  condition  for 
an  explosion  sooner  or  later.  With  this  large  duct  in  hand- 
ling gases  and  steam,  the  steam  in  contact  with  red  hot  coke, 
it  looks  to  me  as  if  sooner  or  later  some  accident  would  hap- 
pen to  the  blowing  plant,  and  that  there  would  be  a  terrific 
blast  pipe  accident  or  explosion.  Another  feature  that  would 
have  to  be  taken  care  of,  from  the  standpoint  of  expense,  is 
the  material  used  in  its  construction.  It  seems  to  me  that  an 
expensive  construction  would  be  cheaper  in  the  long  run, 
such  as  glazed  tiles  and  channels.  I  have  been  up  against 
the  problem  of  ventilating  retort  houses  in  which  there  were 
ten  benches  of  nines,  and  the  simplest  method  which  sug- 
gested itself,  and  one  which  became  automatic,  was  a  stack 
1 6  ft.  square,  about  50  ft.  high.  As  the  temperature  of  the 
basement  rises  the  stack  draws  faster.  We  calculated  that 
the  stack  emptied  the  basement  every  20  seconds,  or  three 
times  a  minute.  We  found  that  we  had  to  close  the  side 
windows  of  the  basement  and  take  all  the  air  at  the  extreme 
end  of  the  building,  through  the  basement,  to  this  stack  at 
the  other  extreme  end.  A  newspaper  held  in  suspension  at 
the  open  end  of  the  cellar  would  float  the  entire  length  of  the 
cellar  in  the  draft  and  ascend  the  stack  ;  and  as  the  tempera- 
ture rose  the  travel  of  the  paper  was  much  more  rapid.  This 
absolutely  cleard  the  basement  and  gave  as  good  satisfaction 
as  we  could  ask  for.  The  construction  of  that  stack  would 
cost  $800  if  it  were  built  simply  as  a  stack.  We  fortunately 
were  able  to  use  some  walls  which  were  already  standing. 
One  wall  of  the  stack  is  the  end  of  the  retort  house,  another 
wall  is  the  retaining  wall  of  an  embankment,  another  wall  is 
the  end  of  the  office  building,  and  the  remaining  wall  is  the 
end  of  the  wash  and  sanitary  room.  These  four  walls,  which 


150 

were  already  standing,  ran  up  45  feet   of  the  total  height   of 
the  stack. 

I  do  not  think  the  average  coal  gasmen  appreciate  the 
importance  of  the  economy  of  retort  house  ventilation.  If 
not  ventilated  you  get  a  beautiful  labor  economy  for  a  few 
hours  in  the  early  part  of  the  day,  and  then  as  the  men 
become  semi-asphyxiated  the  wTork  tapers  off  and  you  do  not 
get  the  maximum  efficiency  from  the  men  from,  say,  noontime 
until  6  p.  m. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Aldrich)  :  Is  there  any  other  mem- 
ber who  desires  to  discuss  this  question  ? 

MR.  A.  B.  MACBETH  (Kansas  City,  Mo.):  In  regard  to 
what  Mr.  Searle  said  about  ventilating  the  cellar,  I  think 
unless  there  was  a  pressure  system  of  ventilating  on  the  operat- 
ing floor  of  the  retort  house  there  would  be  a  good  deal  of 
steam  that  would  go  up  between  the  floor  plates.  I  think  the 
retort  house  of  which  Mr.  Searle  speaks  is  provided  with  a 
fan,  supplying  fresh  air  to  the  operating  floor,  and,  therefore, 
that  would  prevent  this  steam  from  going  up  through  the  floor,, 
there  being  a  higher  pressure,  you  might  say,  on  top  of  the 
floor  plates  than  there  is  below. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Aldrich)  :  If  there  is  no  further 
discussion  we  will  call  for  Mr.  Doherty's  paper. 

MR.  HENRY  Iv.  DOHERTY  (New  York  City)  :  Mr.  Chair- 
man, before  closing  this  subject  I  would  like  to  say  a  few  words 
on  the  subject,  and  that  is  in  relation  to  a  feature  which  is 
often  lost  sight  of  by  a  great  many  gas  engineers.  I  refer  to 
the  advantage  of  affiliating  with  other  engineering  societies. 
Perhaps  all  of  the  gentlemen  in  the  room  do  not  know  that 
there  is  a  society  known  as  the  American  Society  of  Heating 
and  Ventilating  Engineers.  While  their  work  has  been  pri- 
marily in  the  nature  of  ventilating  dwellings,  assembly  halls, 
and  places  of  that  sort,  they  do'  attempt  to  cover  the  broad 
ground  of  heating  and  ventilating.  In  my  paper  I  touch  upon 
the  advantage  of  affiliation  w7ith  other  societies  working  along 
the  same  general  lines  as  our  own,  and  I  merely  wanted  to  use 
this  opportunity  as  an  example  in  point  of  what  is  referred  to 


151 

in  my  paper,  more  than  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  this  par- 
ticular subject. 

I  will  say,  however,  while  on  my  feet,  that  my  experience 
has  been  where  you  have  a  small  volume  of  air  to  handle  you 
can  afford  to  handle  it  by  mechanical  means  more  economically 
than  you  can  by  natural  draft.  Where  you  get  a  large  volume 
of  air  to  handle  you  will  generally  find  that  the  interest  and 
depreciation  on  the  stack  is  very  much  less  than  the  operating 
expenses  and  interest  and  depreciation  on  your  fans.  The 
question  of  ventilating  a  retort  house  is  a  very  important  as 
well  as  an  interesting  one,  and  there  is  one  point  I  might 
make  which  may  prove  of  assistance  to  some  engineers  who 
have  this  problem  to  solve.  Steam  has  a  gravity  of  about 
one-half  the  gravity  of  air.  It  is  sometimes  possible  to  use 
your  heat  in  the  smokestack  to  produce  steam,  or  if  you  have 
a  large  surplus  of  waste  steam  to  turn  it  into  the  stack  and 
get  a  greater  smokestack  effect  by  having  a  greater  unbal- 
ancing between  hot  and  cold  columns  of  air. 

MR.  E.  H.  EARNSHAW  (Philadelphia,  Pa.)  :  I  ask  Mr. 
Searle  how  he  got  the  steam  to  go  up  the  stack — how  the 
steam  was  sufficiently  heated  to  cause  an  ascending  current  ? 
We  have  found  in  Philadelphia,  in  experimenting  with  the 
small  stacks  arranged  between  the  benches,  that  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  get  them  sufficiently  hot  to  cause  a  draft.  At  first  we 
put  up  some  iron  stacks  and  they  drew  very  well,  but  in  order 
to  avoid  the  corrosion  of  the  iron  stacks  we  experimented 
with  clay  stacks  made  of  tile,  fitted  together,  the  same  size  as 
the  iron  stacks.  Although  they  were  very  close  to  the 
benches  we  found  they  were  not  a  success,  because  the  steam 
did  not  become  sufficiently  hot  to  cause  a  draft  and  they 
would  not  clear  the  cellar  as  well  as  the  iron  stacks,  which 
transmitted  the  heat  from  the  benches  and  caused  a  good  draft. 

MR.  R.  M.  SEARCH  (Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y.)  :  I  presume 
that  a  part  of  our  good  luck  was  due  to  the  enormous  size  of 
this  stack,  16  feet,  not  inches,  square.  We  found  it  of  great 
advantage — as  I  might  have  mentioned  before — we  used  part 
of  our  exhaust  steam  in  that  stack,  which  always  kept  it  at 
a  certain  high  temperature.  The  climate  of  that  country  is 


152 

such  that  the  air  in  summer  is  never  below  90  degrees  F. , 
and  the  average  temperature  of  the  cellar,  before  ventilating, 
was  in  the  neighborhood  of  130  degrees.  That  was  caused  by 
all  the  coke  being  pulled  through  the  chutes,  and  the  retort 
house  basement  filled  and  the  coke  quenched  in  a  pile  as  it 
accumulated,  the  basement  acting,  in  a  sense,  as  a  hopper  for 
the  hot  coke  from  the  retort,  and  the  temperature  would  rise 
rapidly.  Five  benches,  or  15  retorts,  were  in  process  of  being 
pulled  at  the  same  time,  and  it  made  a  terrific  heat  and  started 
a  terrific  draft.  It  was  much  cheaper  to  operate  that  way, 
with  negro  labor,  and  working  one  side  of  the  house  at  a  time 
under  one  foreman. 

Referring  to  the  blast  pressure  system,  that  was  simply  a 
series  of  nozzles  so  arranged  as  to  play  on  the  backs  of  the 
negroes  with  air  taken  from  the  retort  house,  at  the  same 
temperature  as  the  air  on  the  operating  floor,  to  keep  the  men 
from  getting  cold  and  at  the  same  time  evaporating  the 
moisture  on  their  bodies  to  keep  the  temperature  down.  It 
had  little  other  effect — it  was  simply  a  No.  5  Sturtevant  fan 
and  could  not  handle  much  over  500,000  feet  of  air  per  hour 
at  the  rate  it  was  delivered  to  the  pipes.  It  would  have 
required  something  like  100,000  feet  of  air  per  minute  to  ven- 
tilate the  building.  I  might  mention  further  that  we  removed 
every  window  in  the  retort  house,  removed  the  window  frames 
in  order  to  get  a  still  further  diameter  of  window  opening,  and 
we  removed  a  portion  of  the  roof  and  took  out  everything 
that  was  possible,  so  as  to  make  as  large  openings  in  the 
retort  house  as  practicable.  All  the  openings  in  the  house 
were  made  larger,  practically  bringing  the  operating  floor  out 
into  the  atmosphere. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Aldrich)  :  We  will  be  glad  to  have 
Mr.  Lotz  close  the  discussion  on  his  paper. 

MR.  ALFRED  LOTZ  (Chicago,  111.)  :  I  wish  to  reply  to  one 
of  Mr.  Searle's  remarks,  in  regard  to  the  danger  of  an 
explosion  in  connection  with  the  system  described  by  me. 
In  the  first  place,  the  temperature  of  the  coke  and  steam, 
when  the  steam  is  formed,  is  below  the  ignition  point  of  the 
gases  in  the  hopper.  Again,  it  takes  a  certain  amount  of 


153 

time  to  quench  the  coke.  There  is  no  retort  house  in  which 
all  the  water  is  thrown  on  all  the  coke  at  one  time.  If  that 
were  the  case,  you  would  need  an  inexpressibly  large  apparatus 
to  take  care  of  it,  but  the  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  the 
quenching  is  dragged  out  and  prolonged,  say,  over  a  period  of 
five  minutes.  Assuming  that  length  of  time  as  a  standard, 
you  can  divide  the  amount  of  the  total  gases  generated  by 
quenching  the  coke  by  five  minutes,  which  will  materially 
cut  down  the  total  amount  of  gases  handled  by  the  fan,  and 
at  no  time  is  there  so  much  steam  formed  under  these  circum- 
stances as  to  even  give  you  a  steam  explosion,  and  the  current 
of  air  going  through  the  hopper  is  all  that  is  necessary  to 
take  care  of  it.  That  air  goes  through  the  hopper  at  the  rate 
of  pretty  nearly  half  a  mile  a  minute  and  gathers  up  the  steam 
and  gases  as  fast  as  formed. 

As  far  as  the  steam  going  up  through  the  cracks  of  the 
charging  floor  is  concerned,  that  is  a  practical  impossibility, 
because  the  hopper  is  entirely  closed,  and  all  the  suction  that 
it  gets  is  from  one  end  and  through  the  cracks  right  above  it, 
so  that  the  tendency  is  to  suck  everything  down  and  into  it 
instead  of  allowing  it  to  escape. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  (Louisville,  Ky.)  :  I  move  that 
the  thanks  of  this  Association  be  tendered  to  Mr.  lyOtz  for  the 
very  able  paper  which  he  has  presented  on  the  ventilation  of 
retort  houses. 

MR.  L,OTZ  :  I  think  I  owe  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  members 
of  the  Congress  for  listening  so  attentively  to  my  paper. 

(The  motion  was  duly  carried.) 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Aldrich)  :  The  next  business  on  the 
program  is  a  paper  entitled  "  Gas  Association  Work,"  by  the 
past  master  in  such  things,  Mr.  Henry  L.  Doherty,  of  New 
York  City. 

MR.  DOHERTY  :  I  have  written  several  papers,  which  I 
have  read  before  various  Associations,  and  as  a  rule  I  never 
apologize  for  them.  I  am  not  going  to  apologize  now,  but  I 
want  to  make  an  explanation.  As  you  know,  the  selection  of 


154       . 

papers  for  this  Congress  was  made  at  a  rather  late  day.  The 
subject  assigned  me  was  of  a  nature  which  compelled  me 
to  depend  upon  other  people  for  the  material  upon  which  to 
base  my  paper.  I  did  not  wait  for  this  material,  but  dictated 
an  outline  of  a  paper  and  tried  to  gather  this  material  in  and 
get  it  in  proper  statistical  shape.  It  was  very  difficult  to  get 
the  information  desired,  and  some  of  it  had  to  be  taken  from 
the  Gas  Light  journals  and  the  Proceedings  of  the  various 
Gas  Associations.  The  result  was  that  we  did  not  finish  the 
work  until  last  Friday.  When  I  left  Denver  on  that  day 
there  was  some  little  correction  work  to  do,  and  owing  to  the 
numerous  delays  incident  to  its  preparation  I  regret  that  my 
paper  is  not  wholly  in  print.  You  have  a  part  of  the  paper 
before  you  in  pamphlet  form,  and  from  its  length  you  would 
naturally  suppose  it  is  all  there,  but  it  is  not.  If  I  had  had 
time  I  would  have  collated  this  part  (exhibiting  manuscript) 
and  adde4  other  data  to  it.  A  portion  of  the  paper  has  not 
yet  been  put  in  final  shape.  This  will  be  done  later.  It  will 
consist  of  a  large  amount  of  statistical  matter,  showing  just 
who  has  contributed  to  Association  work,  what  percentage 
they  represent  of  the  total  number  of  men  belonging  to  the 
Associations,  what  percentage  they  represent  of  the  total 
number  of  men  engaged  in  the  gas  business,  and  in  this  way 
I  shall  endeavor  to  give  you  an  exact  line  on  Association  work 
as  it  exists  to-day.  Unfortunately,  the  summary  of  these 
statistics  is  not  here  and  I  cannot  remember  them  ;  so  you 
will  have  to  wait  for  that  part  of  the  paper  until  it  is  put  in 
final  shape.  I  shall  abstract  the  paper,  so  as  not  to  detain 
you  too  long. 

"GAS  ASSOCIATION    WORK." 

INTRODUCTION. 

This  is  a  broad  subject  on  which  there  is  a  great  oppor- 
tunity for  a  difference  of  opinion.  Each  man's  experience 
and  situation  give  him  a  view-point  varying  slightly  from  that 
of  any  other  member  of  the  gas  fraternity  and  perhaps 
diametrically  opposed  to  that  of  some  members.  Had  we  all 
had  like  experiences  and  were  we  working  under  exactly 


155 

similar  conditions,  probably  no  great  difference  of  opinion 
would  exist.  It  is  perhaps  safe  to  assume  that  all  will  agree 
that  some  improvement  can  be  secured  in  association  work. 
The  extent  of  this  improvement  would,  however,  be  largely  a 
matter  of  opinion. 

It  is  my  purpose  to  present  certain  views  to  you  which  I 
hope  will  at  least  furnish  food  for  thought  and  lead  to  an 
interesting  discussion.  The  views  presented  will  be  fragments 
of  thought  which  have  occurred  to  me  from  time  to  time,  and 
which  I  may  be  able  to  again  recall  from  memory.  The 
request  for  a  paper  was  received  at  too  late  a  date  for  me  to 
give  the  subject  the  careful  thought  and  consideration  which 
it  deserves.  My  contribution  must,  therefore,  be  in  the  nature 
of  "thinking  out  loud."  The  subject,  however,  is  so  vital 
to  all  of  our  interests  that  considerable  time  should  be  given 
for  consideration  before  any  radical  changes  are  made.  It  is 
not  enough  to  secure  a  slight  improvement.  It  is  a  question 
of  planning  and  working  to  obtain  not  better,  but  best,  results. 

This  cannot  be  done  in  a  day  or  a  minute.  A  standing 
board  should  be  created  or  a  single  investigator  appointed  to 
plan  and  report  progress  from  time  to  time.  You  will  notice 
that  I  used  the  word  board  and  not  the  word  committee.  Just 
what  the  distinction  should  properly  be  between  a  board  and 
a  committee,  I  do  not  know,  but  as  a  rule  a  committee  is  a 
body  of  men  appointed  to  do  work  that  it  never  does,  and  it 
may  prevent  the  work  from  being  done  by  volunteers.  If  a 
committee  does  accomplish  any  work,  as  a  rule  it  is  but  one 
man  on  the  committee  that  does  it.  Perhaps  the  best  results 
toward  progress  could  be  secured  by  each  association  appoint- 
ing a  representative,  and  each  holding  its  one  representative 
responsible  for  progress  regardless  of  what  other  represent- 
atives might  do.  All  of  these  representatives  could  compose 
a  board  with  provision  for  at  least  one  annual  meeting,  and 
this  board  collectively  and  these  representatives  individually 
would  be  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  securing  better 
results  from  association  wrork. 

In  spite  of  differences  of  opinion,  I  think  that  we  can  all 
start  from  the  broad  ground  that  some  improvement  in  asso- 
ciation work  is  possible.  As  gas  associations  depend  for  their 


156 

existence  primarily  upon  the  gas  business  and  upon  the 
individual  men  conducting  the  gas  business,  it  seems  necessary 
to  study  association  work  and  association  possibilities  from 
the  standpoint  of  the  conditions  of  the  gas  business  and  of  the 
individuals  making  up  the  gas  fraternity,  rather  than  to 
attempt  to  study  the  gas  associations  per  se. 

THE  NATURE  OF  THE  GAS  BUSINESS. 

There  is  a  difference  between  the  gas  business  and  almost 
any  other  business  which  cannot  be  readily  understood,  but  a 
recognition  of  this  distinction,  which  may  at  first  seem  slight, 
will  possibly  be  sufficient  to  cause  the  difference  between  suc- 
cess and  failure.  The  business  is  complicated  in  character  and 
has  peculiarities  of  its  own.  It  cannot  be  advantageously  con- 
sidered as  a  whole  and  must  therefore  be  divided  into  different 
parts.  For  convenience,  the  following  divisions  may  be  made  : 

(a)  It  is  a  manufacturing  business. 

(b)  It  is  a  transportation  business. 

(c)  It  is  a  collection  business. 

(d)  It  is  an  investment  business. 

(e)  It  is  a  mercantile  business. 

(f)  Its  successful  conduct   requires   that   it  should  be  a 
development  business. 

Other  lines  of  business  may  embrace  some  or  all  of  these 
features,  but  the  peculiar  relationship  between  these  branches 
makes  the  gas  business  almost  unique  in  comparison  with 
other  lines  of  business. 

There  is  one  great  distinction  that  should  always  be  kept  in 
mind.  In  almost  any  other  business  the  owners  or  directors 
may,  at  will,  limit  the  demands  made  on  it,  while  the  maxi- 
mum demand  for  the  supply  of  gas  is  absolutely  within  the 
hands  of  the  consumers,  and  we  must  anticipate  and  incur 
the  necessary  investment  to  provide  for  supplying  this  demand 
which  our  consumers  may  choose  to  place  upon  us.  A  street 
railway  company  tries  to  anticipate  the  demands  of  the  public, 
but  failing  to  do  so,  the  public  must  wait  to  be  cared  for  at 
the  railroad  company's  convenience.  A  hotel  provides  capacity 
for  a  certain  number  of  guests.  Excessive  demands  made 


157 

upon  it  are  refused.  It  is  only  the  gas  company,  the  electric 
company  and  the  water  company  which  must  adapt  themselves 
to  the  maximum  demands  of  their  patrons,  and  failing  so  to 
do,  the  service  is  completely  and  fatally  crippled. 

THK  CONDITION  OF  OUR  MANUFACTURING  BUSINESS. 

The  best  conditions  in  the  manufacturing  end  of  our  busi- 
ness are  not  as  good  as  they  might  be,  the  average  conditions 
are  far  from  good  and  the  poor  conditions  are  extremely  bad. 
This  may  be  neither  a  popular  nor  a  pleasing  statement,  but 
if  we  hope  to  reach  any  conclusion  in  discussing  this  subject, 
we  must  at  least  be  truthful  with  ourselves. 

Perhaps  one  or  two  examples  are  necessary  to  support  this 
broad  statement.  Almost  any  portion  of  our  apparatus  or 
methods  would  answer  for  this  purpose,  but  as  my  first  example 
I  will  take  our  ordinary  coal  gas  bench.  It  is  of  unknown 
efficiency,  no  standard  or  recognized  method  of  determining 
its  efficiency  exists,  its  present  design  is  faulty  and  involves 
serious  losses  inherent  to  this  design. 

As  my  second  example  I  might  take  the  fuel  economies  in 
and  about  a  gas  works.  They  are  generally  bad.  As  far  as 
I  know,  no  comprehensive  attempt  has  ever  been  made- by  our 
gas  associations  to  better  these  conditions  or  to  determine  what 
constitutes  best  practice.  There  is  no  standard  method  of 
conducting  steam  in  and  about  a  gas  works.  Membership 
must  be  had  in  societies  other  than  gas  associations  in  order 
to  keep  in  touch  with  progress  in  steam  engineering  and  fuel 
economies. 

As  my  third  example  I  might  take  our  present  water  gas 
machine,  perhaps  the  highest  type  of  gas  works  apparatus. 
For  this  apparatus  we  have  only  Mr.  Glasgow's  paper,  now 
many  years  old,  as  a  criterion  of  the  efficiency  of  our  present 
water  gas  generators,  with  no  organized  efforts  to  create  a 
standard  for  measuring  the  efficiency  of  this  class  of  apparatus. 
Whether  or  not  we  should  rest  content  with  the  present 
efficiency  of  this  apparatus,  each  individual  can  answer  for 
himself.  L,ike  examples  might  be  extended  to  almost  all  of 
our  other  apparatus.  That  these  machines  are  not  as  efficient 
as  present  engineering  practice  would  permit,  is  a  statement 


158 

that  need  not  be  argued  here,  unless  it  should  be  questioned. 
If  necessary,  I  will  defend  my  views  as  above  stated. 

THE  CONDITION  OF  OUR  TRANSPORTATION  BUSINESS. 

Our  distribution  problems  have  probably  received  less 
attention  and  intelligent  treatment  than  has  our  manufactur- 
ing business.  It  is  doubtful  whether  reasonable  care  generally 
prevails  in  this  department.  Mains  and  services  are  often  laid 
without  inspection  or  testing.  Sizes  of  mains  are  generally 
determined  by  guesswork,  and  association  work  to  date  has 
done  little  to  secure  a  greater  degree  of  accuracy  in  these 
individual  guesses. 

In  planning  a  distributing  system,  it  is  almost  entirely  a 
problem  of  maximum  demands  regardless  of  consumption. 
How  much  literature  can  be  found  and  hovr  much  work  has 
been  done  by  the  gas  associations  to  determine  demands  under 
certain  known  conditions  ?  There  are  few  distributing  sys- 
tems which  could  not  have  been  installed  at  a  cost  of  20  to  50 
per  cent,  less  and  yet  have  yielded  greater  conductivity  and 
better  regulation  of  pressure.  No  recording  maximum  demand 
devices  are  used  by  gas  companies.  Most  rules  for  distribut- 
ing gas  are  of  a  traditional  nature  with  nothing  to  show  that 
the  establishment  of  the  rule  was  anything  more  than  a  wild 
guess. 

Our  leakage  records  are  generally  of  doubtful  accuracy. 
Leakage  is  generally  stated  in  terms  of  percentage,  and  this 
means  nothing  definite.  A  leakage  of  100,000  cubic  feet  per 
mile  of  main  may  mean  i  per  cent,  to  some  companies  and  50 
per  cent,  to  other  companies,  or  i  per  cent,  in  a  portion  of 
our  distributing  system  and  50  per  cent,  in  another.  It  should 
be  the  ambition  of  gas  engineers  to  make  their  distributing 
systems  bottle-tight,  and  apparently  there  is  not  the  interest 
shown  in  this  problem  that  it  deserves. 

Our  distribution  costs  are  fixed  by  other  factors  than  our 
consumption,  and  most  of  our  expenses  are  of  a  constant 
aggregate  value.  The  distribution  cost  per  thousand  feet  of 
gas  depends  chiefly  upon  (first)  the  volume  of  our  consump- 
tion, and  (second)  the  relation  of  consumption  to  maximum 


159 

demand.     Gas  association  work  furnishes  little  information 
on  the.se  points. 

It  is  not  my  attempt  to  point  out  all  of  the  possible 
improvements  over  present  practice,  but  I  am  simply  trying  to 
cite  an  example  here  and  there  to  sustain  my  contention  that 
association  work  is  not  what  it  might  be. 

THE  CONDITION  OF  OUR  COLLECTION  BUSINESS. 

The  present  gas  meter  leaves  little  to  be  desired  in  the  way 
of  accuracy,  no  matter  what  its  other  shortcomings  may  be. 
Such  inaccuracy  as  does  exist  with  gas  meters  and  their  pres- 
ent cost  of  maintenance  is  largely  due  to  our  lack  of  knowledge 
of  individual  demands  made  by  certain  classes  of  consumers, 
the  irrational  construction  of  our  present  meter,  lack  of 
knowledge  of  the  capacity  of  meters,  and  failure  to  protect  the 
meter  against  excessive  demands  causing  considerable  differ- 
ential pressure  in  the  working  parts  of  the  meter  tending  to 
destroy  it.  Association  work,  until  recently,  has  done  but 
little  on  any  of  these  lines.  The  present  meter  can  be  mate- 
rially improved,  but  most  easily  by  association  work,  instead 
of  by  individual  effort. 

The  accuracy  of  meter  readings  in  different  companies  varies 
considerably.  Within  my  arm's  reach,  while  dictating  this 
paper,  are  two  reports  from  different  companies  of  about  the 
same  size,  showing  that  of  18,000  meters  read  by  one  company 
over  100  mistakes  in  meter  reading  were  made,  while  with  the 
other  company  only  eight  mistakes  were  made  in  reading 
32,000  meters.  Both  reports  are  probably  accurate.  The 
great  difference  is  explained  by  the  methods  in  vogue  by  the 
two  companies. 

The  nature  of  our  collection  expenses  is  not  always  kept 
closely  in  mind.  They  are  in  no  way  related  to  our  consump- 
tion, but  depend  almost  directly  upon  the  number  of  our  con- 
sumers. It  is  a  certain  fixed  amount  per  consumer,  and  the 
cost  of  our  collection  expenses  per  thousand  feet  of  gas  sold 
to  individual  consumers  may  vary  as  much  as  i  is  to  500,  and 
even  beyond  this  to  infinity. 


160 
OUR  METHODS  OF  ACCOUNTING. 

Here  the  gas  associations  have  done  some  excellent  work 
reflecting  much  credit  upon  the  contributors  in  this  branch. 
The  work,  however,  should  be  of  a  continuous  rather  than  a 
spasmodic  nature,  as  conditions  are  constantly  changing  and 
we  never  secure  perfection. 

OUR   INVESTMENT  AND    THE    RELATION   OF   ITS   YEARLY 
EXPENSES  TO  OUR  OTHER  EXPENSES. 

After  all,  our  business  is  primarily  an  investment  business. 
Failure  to  recognize  this  point  and  to  impress  it  on  the  public 
has  jeopardized  the  security  of  our  investment.  The  public 
seems  to  think  that  our  only  expenses  are  the  purchase  of  coal 
and  the  payment  of  a  small  amount  for  labor.  It  cannot  see 
why  we  cannot  sell  gas  at  5  per  cent,  above  its  manufacturing 
cost.  It  insists  upon  considering  operating  expenses  alone  in 
comparison  with  gross  receipts.  Our  business  can  in  a  meas- 
ure be  likened  to  an  investment  in  buildings,  say  like  the 
ownership  of  apartment  houses  in  New  York.  In  some  of 
these  buildings  the  only  operating  expense  devolving  upon  the 
owner  is  heat  and  janitor  service.  If  the  owner  is  not  entitled 
to  any  reasonable  return  on  his  investment,  his  profits  above 
operating  expenses  are  enormous. 

It  is  probably  our  fault  that  the  public  takes  an  incorrect  view 
of  our  business,  and  the  responsibility  for  this  condition  rests 
with  the  men  responsible  for  the  successful  conduct  of  the  gas 
business.  The  public  often  thinks  our  profits  are  excessive, 
many  believing  that  they  are  100  per  cent,  or  more.  Even 
the  experienced  gas  man  seems  to  forget  that  the  average 
American  gas  company  would  be  fortunate  if  able  to  take  back 
its  actual  investment  in  gross  receipts  once  in  five  years.  This 
means  that  total  receipts  are  only  20  per  cent,  of  the  actual 
investment,  and  if  gas  companies  had  no  expenses  whatever, 
their  profits  would  be  limited  to  this  amount.  It  would  be 
hard  for  the  public  to  be  made  to  understand  that,  as  a  rule, 
the  gas  business  is  not  nearly  as  productive,  per  dollar  of 
actual  investment,  as  almost  any  other  class  of  business.  We 
ourselves  fail  to  keep  clearly  in  mind  that  profit  per  thousand 


161 

cubic  feet  of  gas  sold  and  profit  on  the  investment  required, 
may  not  be  related.  For  a  given  profit  on  our  investment  we 
are  better  off  with  a  small  profit  per  thousand  cubic  feet  of 
gas  sold  than  with  a  large  profit  per  thousand  cubic  feet  of 
gas  sold. 

TAXATION  CONDITIONS 
PECULIAR  TO  QUASI-PUBLIC  CORPORATIONS. 

For  lack  of  just  tax  laws  and  in  justice  to  our  stockholders, 
we  are  compelled  to  fight  for  a  low  valuation  on  our  property 
for  the  purpose  of  taxation  and  a  higher  valuation  for  the 
purpose  of  fixing  rates.  The  present  trend  of  tax  valuation 
is  inimical  to  the  safety  of  our  investment.  This  is  true  of 
our  quasi-public  corporations  and  of  no  other  taxpayers  as  a 
class.  lyittle  can  be  done  by  individual  effort,  and  it  is  incum- 
bent upon  our  gas  associations  to  co-operate  with  other  quasi- 
public  corporations  to  secure  taxation  laws  which  will  place 
just  burdens  on  all  taxpayers.  Many  companies  are  suffering 
now,  and  all  will  eventually  suffer,  unless  something  is  done 
to  guide  the  present  tendency  of  taxation  methods.  There 
was  a  time  when  quasi-public  corporations  seemed  to  be  able 
to  dodge  their  just  burdens  of  taxation,  but  to-day  the  quasi- 
public  corporation  is  indeed  fortunate  that  does  not  have  to 
pay  more,  and  considerably  more,  than  its  just  proportion  of 
taxes. 

OUR  MERCANTILE  AND  APPLIANCE  BUSINESS. 

There  was  a  time  when  gas  companies  were  satisfied  to  do 
business  only  to  the  extent  of  their  monopoly.  That  time  has 
fortunately  gone  by.  For  the  sake  of  developing  our  business 
many  of  us  have  been  forced  into  the  mercantile  business, 
including  the  providing  of  appliances  for  our  possible  patrons. 
To  secure  reasonable  cost  of  manufacture  we  have  also  been 
compelled  in  some  cases  to  market  our  residuals  either  to  the 
consumer  or  to  the  jobber.  Most  gas  companies  have  coke  for 
sale.  No  uniform  sizes  of  coke  are  supplied  by  the  gas  com- 
panies and  no  uniform  names  are  used  to  designate  the  differ- 
ent sizes.  Manufacturing  companies  making  coke-burning 
stoves  and  furnaces  cannot  even  publish  in  their  circulars  the 
sizes  of  coke  that  the  owners  of  stoves  should  ask  for  in  any 


162 

two  towns.  To  develop  our  market  for  coke  and  secure  a 
proper  demand  insuring  a  good  price,  the  appliances  should 
be  designed  for  the  proper  burning  of  coke  or  the  coke  should 
be  prepared  for  the  appliances  that  are  available.  If  the  gas 
associations  have  done  any  effective  work  along  these  lines, 
the  writer  is  unfamiliar  with  it. 

Our  gas  appliance  business  presents  plenty  of  room  for  im- 
provement. None  of  the  appliances  seem  to  approach  a  fair 
degree  of  perfection.  Vast  room  for  improvement  exists  with 
most  of  them.  This  improvement  could  be  secured  by  simply 
applying  known  and  recognized  laws  of  engineering  already 
made  available  by  many  text  books.  No  standard  method  of 
testing  gas  appliances  has  existed  until  of  late.  No  aggressive 
work  has  been  done  by  the  gas  associations  to  secure  improve- 
ment in  these  appliances,  nor  to  cultivate  the  development  of 
new  appliances  opening  up  other  fields  for  the  use  of  gas. 
There  does  not  even  seem  to  be  a  unanimity  of  opinion 
amongst  gas  companies  regarding  the  nature  of  appliances 
which  it  would  be  most  advantageous  for  them  to  cultivate. 
Some  gas  companies  advocate  the  use  of  instantaneous  \vater 
heaters,  while  others  discourage  them.  Some  gas  companies 
seem  to  aggressively  push  the  sale  of  hot  plates,  while  others 
discourage  them.  Data  could  be  secured  and  brought  out  by 
our  gas  associations  on  these  points,  but  no  particular  effort 
has  been  made  to  do  so. 

THE  DEVELOPMENT 
OF  OUR  MARKET  AND  OUR  OPPORTUNITIES. 

To  what  extent  our  market  can  be  developed  and  what 
opportunities  exist  for  the  use  of  gas  with  which  we  are  not 
generally  familiar,  every  reader  must  judge  for  himself. 
There  are  many  gas  companies  that  sell  over  5,000  feet  of  gas 
per  capita.  Other  apparently  well-managed  companies  in 
similar  communities  sell  only  2,000  feet  of  gas  per  capita. 
The  reason  for  this  difference  is  not  apparent,  and  association 
proceedings  do  not  throw  much  light  on  the  puzzle. 

Development  of  gas-burning  appliances  and  ability  to  secure 
greater  economy  in  the  use  of  these  appliances  should  open  up 
considerable  opportunity  for  increasing  the  sales  of  gas  with- 


163 

out  materially  increasing  the  company's  investment.  Gas 
appliances  .used  extensively  in  one  community  may  not  even 
be  known  in  many  other  communities,  and,  if  known  at  all, 
there  is  no  definite  knowledge  of  the  results  to  be  secured 
from  their  use.  One  gas  company  recently  attempted  to  collect 
a  list  of  all  purposes  for  which  gas  was  used  and  a  description 
of  all  gas-burning  appliances,  together  with  their  cost  of 
operation,  etc.,  and  the  support,  or  rather  lack  of  support, 
given  this  movement  by  the  gas  companies  of  the  country 
was  rather  discouraging. 

It  is  the  work  indicated  by  these  examples  which  gas  asso- 
ciations can  do  and  which  would  prove  of  great  value  to  the 
future  of  the  business. 

GENERAL  COMMENT  ON  THESE  EXAMPLES. 

In  general  it  is  safe  to  say  that  problems  in  the  gas  business 
have  been  accumulating  much  faster  than  the  associations 
have  been  disposing  of  them.  Gas  associations  may  be  limited 
in  their  ability  to  secure  improvement  in  maximum  results, 
but  it  should  be  no  great  effort  and  would  only  call  for  good 
organization  work  to  bring  the  average  results  and  the  poorer 
results  nearer  to  our  present  best  results.  Some  gas  com- 
panies may  not  be  fully  alive  to  their  own  interests,  may  not 
appreciate  the  necessities  of  the  immediate  future,  and  may 
not  be  ready  for  the  adoption  of  association  work  on  a  more 
comprehensive  plan  ;  but  gas  associations  should  at  least  do 
all  within  their  power  for  those  gas  companies  and  those  mem- 
bers of  the  fraternity  who  are  ready  to  receive  something 
better  in  improved  methods  or  apparatus.  There  are  reasons 
for  the  apathy  of  gas  companies  and  members  of  the  gas 
fraternity  which  perhaps  deserve  consideration. 

GAS  LITERATURE. 
ITS  AVAILABILITY  AND  CONDITION. 

Our  literature  is  fragmentary  and  indefinite.  There  are 
practically  one  thousand  gas  companies  in  this  country,  many 
of  which  are  small  and  unprogressive.  The  field  for  gas  liter- 
ature is  too  limited  to  bring  financial  success  to  authors  or 
publishers  to  the  same  extent,  for  instance,  as  in  the  electrical 


164 

business.  There  are  nearly  4,000  central  stations  in  this 
country,  and  the  Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers  has  over 
three  thousand  members.  In  addition  to  this,  there  are  over 
one  hundred  thousand  electricians,  amateur  or  professional. 

Our  literature  is  scattered  through  many  publications  and 
contained  in  many  books,  some  out  of  print  and  not  now 
available.  The  engineer  starting  in  the  gas  business  at  the 
present  time  has  little  opportunity  to  put  together  a  proper 
library.  Gas  literature  has  not  been  properly  digested  or 
indexed.  The  recent  attempt  of  one  of  the  gas  associations 
to  publish  an  index  is  rather  disappointing.  It  is  incomplete 
and  lacks  effectiveness  because  the  title  assigned  certain  papers 
is  the  only  subject  indexed.  For  instance,  one  card  is  indexed 
for  a  subject  "An  Unnamed  Paper."  There  is  absolutely 
nothing  to  indicate  to  what  the  paper  relates.  There  are 
many  other  titles  equally  ambiguous  and  data  on  one  subject 
may  be  buried  under  a  title  entirely  foreign  to  it,  or  at  least 
under  a  title  not  reflecting  the  true  character  of  the  paper.  To 
thoroughly  follow  up  any  line  of  study  by  the  use  of  this 
index  would  be  impossible. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  no  rules  have  ever  been  laid  down  for 
so  naming  papers  and  cross-indexing  them  that  their  contents 
may  be  readily  determined  and  located.  Some  work  should 
be  done  by  gas  associations  to  insure  greater  care  in  assigning 
titles  to  papers  and  to  insure  proper  sub -titling  to  different 
portions  or  to  different  subjects  if  more  than  one  subject 
is  treated. 

The  lack  of  availability  of  gas  literature  cannot  be  dwelt 
upon  too  forcibly.  Almost  any  public  library  furnishes  some 
text  books  on  other  branches  of  engineering,  which  at  least 
in  a  degree  cover  the  whole  subject.  Few  books  ^directly  or 
indirectly  related  to  gas  engineering  will  be  found  in  the 
libraries,  and  the  trade  journals  on  gas  engineering  are  neces- 
sarily of  such  limited  circulation  that  they  will  be  found  on 
the  tables  of  only  a  few  engineering  clubs  and  scientific 
societies.  To  properly  cover  the  field  of  gas  engineering  a 
great  many  expensive  text  books  must  be  had,  and  of  these 
text  books  some  are  out  of  print,  and  the  young  engineer  is 


165 

financially  unable  to  provide  his  own  library  with  others  and 
has  no  public  library  to  fall  back  upon.  Even  with  the  pres- 
ent available  indexes  and  with  the  most  complete  gas  library, 
it  is  difficult  to  pick  out  quickly  what  is  wanted.  Our  liter- 
ature, such  as  it  is,  is  encumbered  with  a  great  mass  of  badly- 
arranged,  indifferent  contributions.  Opinions  or  statements 
without  corroborative  detail  are  extremely  common.  What 
we  need  most  of  all  is  a  handbook  on  gas  engineering  which 
would  correspond  with  Kent's  handbook  on  mechanical  engin- 
eering. The  publication  of  such  a  handbook  would  not  be  a 
profitable  financial  venture  unless  supported  by  our  associa- 
tions, but  on  one  thousand  leaves  of  onion-skin  paper  con- 
tained in  covers  of  no  greater  dimensions  than  6%  inches  by 
4  inches  by  i  ^  inches  can  be  put  more  available  information 
of  value  to  the  gas  engineer  than  is  contained  in  any  gas 
engineering  library  with  which  the  writer  is  acquainted. 

Engineers  in  many  branches  have  been  largely  educated 
simply  by  such  scientific  matter  as  is  contained  in  catalogues. 
Catalogues  of  gas  apparatus  manufacturers  have  heretofore 
been  lacking  in  educational  matter.  A  recent  bulletin  on  gas 
benches,  however,  issued  by  one  manufacturer,  was  most 
excellent.  A  great  deal  of  information  necessary  for  the 
intelligent  operation  of  gas  benches  was  contained  therein  and 
was  well  told.  The  author  of  the  pamphlet  had  availed  him- 
self freely  of  the  recent  progress  report  on  bench  construction 
and  operation  appearing  in  the  proceedings  of  two  of  our  gas 
associations.  Another  manufacturer  with  whom  I  corre- 
sponded some  time  ago  was  anxious  to  print  a  catalogue  con- 
taining a  great  deal  of  valuable  technical  data.  This  data, 
however,  was  not  available  and  the  project  was  abandoned. 
In  other  lines  of  work  it  is  often  the  apparatus  manufacturer 
who  is  responsible  for  educating  the  masses,  but  he  should  be 
more  properly  the  distributor  of  educational  matter  and  not 
the  student  and  investigator  who  prepares  it.  Were  the  gas 
associations  to  make  greater  effort  in  research  and  other  work, 
a  great  deal  of  the  valuable  information  secured  by  them 
would  find  its  way  into  the  hands  of  the  gas  fraternity  through 
the  manufacturer  of  apparatus  and  appliances. 


166 
THE   CONDITION  OF  OUR   NOMENCLATURE. 

No  attempt,  so  far  as  the  writer  knows,  has  ever  been  made 
to  standardize  the  nomenclature  of  gas  engineering  and  to 
adopt  valuable  and  comprehensive  nomenclature  used  in  other 
branches  of  engineering.  There  are  some  half  dozen  different 
names  for  different  styles  of  gas  benches.  Lack  of  standard- 
ization in  this  one  point  alone  is  confusing  and  is  liable  to  lead 
to  errors.  The  expression  "  candle  f oot  "  means  one  thing  in 
the  gas  business  and  something  entirely  different  in  all  other 
branches  of  science.  With  the  gas  engineer  it  is  the  product 
of  his  candle  power  times  the  yield,  and  as  our  photometric 
work  is  based  on  a  unit  of  five  feet  of  gas  rather  than  a  unit 
of  one  foot  of  gas,  the  so-called  "  candle  foot"  is  equivalent 
to  one-fifth  of  a  candle  power  hour  in  illuminating  value.  It 
is  to  be  regretted  that  we  have  adopted  by  custom  a  standard 
of  five  cubic  feet  as  a  unit  in  stating  the  candle  power  of  our 
gas,  and  it  would  have  been  less  confusing  had  we  adopted 
one  cubic  foot.  However,  there  is  no  excuse  for  the  continu- 
ance of  the  term  "candle  foot"  as  it  is  now  used,  and  we 
should  adopt  the  use  of  the  term  ' '  candle  foot ' '  in  the  same 
sense  as  other  engineers  use  it,  viz.,  the  unit  of  intensity  of 
light. 

The  nomenclature  of  the  gas  business  is  most  faulty  from 
the  standpoint  of  omissions.  Terms  used  in  other  branches  of 
engineering,  which  comprise  a  great  deal  in  a  single  word, 
phrase  or  character,  could  to  advantage  be  adopted  by  the  gas 
engineer.  This  is  another  field  for  association  work,  but  before 
starting  to  consider  association  work  directly,  we  should 
consider  the  condition  of  the  men  composing  the  gas  fraternity. 

STUDY  OF  THE  MEN 
OPERATING  AND  DIRECTING  THE  GAS  BUSINESS. 

The  major  portion  of  the  gas  fraternity  to-day  is  composed 
of  self-educated  men.  Of  those  having  a  technical  education 
only  a  few  were  educated  with  the  view  of  entering  the  gas 
business.  No  school  or  university  offers  a  recognized  course 
of  gas  engineering.  The  gas  business  was  formerly  carried  on 
as  a  craft,  but  is  gradually  undergoing  a  change  and  will 


167 

eventually  be  carried  on  as  a  science.  This  evolution  has 
already  progressed  materially,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  there  will  be  a  constant  acceleration  of  progress. 

Barring  a  few  of  the  old  school  of  gas  men,  the  balance 
were  what  we  might  classify  under  the  greatly  abused  term  of 
"  practical  men."  They  were  not  scientists,  their  education 
was  limited,  and  they  were  at  least  indifferent  to  scientific 
methods  and  technical  training.  Indifference  is  hardly  the 
word  to  use,  for  in  most  quarters  there  was,  and  in  many 
quarters  there  is  to-day,  opposition  to  technically  trained  men 
and  to  scientific  and  exact  methods.  The  young  graduate 
engineer  did  not  always  find  his  surroundings  in  the  gas  busi- 
ness congenial  and  agreeable,  and  lack  of  association  with 
other  college  men  and  opposition  from  his  associates  has  caused 
the  gas  business  to  be  regarded  by  men  of  this  stamp,  until  in 
very  recent  years,  as  an  uninviting  field.  Fortunately,  these 
obstacles  are  being  overcome,  and  some  of  our  best  technical 
schools  advise  their  engineering  students  to  enter  the  gas 
business.  The  remarkable  progress  made  by  college-educated 
men  in  the  gas  business  has  also  been  an  incentive  for  others 
to  endure  the  direct  opposition,  and  sometimes  ridicule,  to 
which  they  have  been  compelled  to  subject  themselves.  Many 
college-educated  men  who  were  as  yet  unborn  or  who  were 
babies  when  the  American  Gas  lyight  Association  was  formed 
are  now  holding  positions  of  great  responsibility  at  remunerative 
salaries  amongst  the  American  gas  companies. 

The  writer  was  once  employed  by  a  gas  company  whose 
superintendent  could  neither  read  nor  write,  and  afterwards 
took  charge  of  another  gas  company  whose  superintendent 
could  neither  read  nor  write.  Although  remarkable  men  in 
their  way,  they  would  be  entirely  out  of  place  with  our  pres- 
ent methods,  and  yet  these  two  men  were  securing  results 
even  better  than  average  results  of  all  gas  companies  through- 
out the  country  at  that  time.  The  gas  business  embraces 
men  with  all  degrees  of  education,  from  that  of  the  two 
examples  which  I  have  just  cited,  to  men  of  national  and  even 
international  reputation  in  several  branches  of  scientific  work. 
The  standard  of  ability  and  general  education  is  extremely 
high.  The  standard  of  special  and  technical  education  is  not 


168 

so  high.  Individual  and  average  progress  has  been  rapid, 
and  the  writer  ventures  the  opinion  that  the  average  gas  man 
of  to-day  has  progressed  much  more  rapidly  than  has  the 
average  gas  association.  The  man  who  may  have  been  a 
leader  in  the  gas  fraternity  twenty  years  ago  may  be  an 
obstacle  to  progress  to-day.  Many  of  these  men  insistsin  spite 
of  increased  knowledge  and  changed  conditions,  on  following 
what  was  considered  good  practice  twenty  years  ago.  They 
do  not  take  kindly  to  proposed  changes  and  prefer  to  see  the 
business  conducted  along  the  lines  of  traditions  of  doubtful 
origin. 

Admitting  that  the  above  statements  are  true,  it  is  very  easy 
to  see  how  opinions  may  differ,  or  rather  how  view  points  may 
differ.  Conditions  are  changing  and  we  must  change  to  meet 
them.  It  is  simply  a  question  of  whether  we  will  anticipate 
these  conditions  or  have  our  policies  made  and  forced  upon  us 
— whether  we  shall  be  the  prime  mover  or  the  driven  motor. 

THE  STANDING  OF  THE  GAS  ENGINEER 
IN  PROFESSIONAL  CIRCLES. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  a  gas  engineer  has  practically  no 
recognized  standing  amongst  professional  men.  The  knowl- 
edge and  training  necessary  to  make  a  man  an  electrical 
engineer  are  fairly  well  defined.  The  same  is  true  of  our 
mechanical  engineers  and  even  of  our  chemical  engineers. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  any  two  men  in  this  audience  would 
give  the  same  answer  to  the  question  "What  constitutes  a 
gas  engineer?"  Some  time  or  other  we,  as  members  of  the 
gas  fraternity,  must  speak  through  our  associations  and  say 
what  does  constitute  a  gas  engineer,  and  it  is  therefore  an 
opportune  question  whether  gas  engineering  shall  be  confined 
to  the  narrow  limits  of  coal  and  water  gas,  or  whether  it  shall 
be  a  broad  term,  such  as  electrical  engineering,  wherein  the 
telephone,  telegraph,  high  tension  and  storage  battery 
engineers  all  assemble  under  one  banner. 

You  are  all  aware  that  industrial  gas  plants  are  being 
adopted  rapidly.  You  also  know  that  in  the  past  few  years 
several  million  dollars  have  been  invested  in  the  manufacture 
of  large  gas  engines,  and  that  in  the  minds  of  many  and  per- 


169 

haps  most  of  the  recognized  authorities  on  engineering,  the 
gas  engine  is  believed  to  be  the  prime  mover  of  the  future. 
And  yet,  our  associations  have  thus  far  taken  but  little  notice 
of  these  conditions.  There  is  no  particular  incentive  for  the 
men  engaged  in  this  work  to  join  our  ranks,  and  it  is  doubtful 
whether  many  of  the  members  of  our  various  gas  associations 
have  made  any  great  effort  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  men  who 
are  dealing  with  these  problems  on  such  a  gigantic  scale.  It  is 
unreasonable  for  us  to  suppose  that  there  is  nothing  that  we 
can  learn  from  men  engaged  upon  these  problems,  and  it  is 
highly  probable  that  within  the  next  few  years  the  bulk  of  all 
the  gas,  no  matter  by  what  standard  you  may  measure  it, 
either  in  volume  or  money  value,  will  be  used  for  industrial 
purposes  and  perhaps  primarily  for  the  generation  of  power. 
Unless  we  take  the  lead,  we  may  find  ourselves  the  followers 
rather  than  the  leaders. 

The  suggestion  of  one  of  our  western  members,  that  some 
college  be  induced  to  give  a  degree  of  gas  engineering,  does 
not  appeal  to  me  as  the  proper  starting  point.  We  should 
first  determine  what  constitutes  a  gas  engineer  and  how  he 
should  be  trained,  and  only  then  would  the  degree  of  gas 
engineering  have  any  real  meaning.  As  the  matter  stands 
to-day,  many  of  us  are  devoting  our  lives,  or  at  least  the  best 
years  of  our  lives,  to  a  branch  of  engineering  work  which  is 
not  recognized  by  other  professional  engineers.  This  brings 
us  to  the  problem  of 

PROPER  EDUCATION. 

It  is  probably  not  the  wish  of  anybody  that  the  men  lacking 
in  technical  training  should  be  eliminated  from  the  gas  busi- 
ness. These  men,  with  their  valuable  practical  experience 
and  by  association  with  technically-trained  men,  can  make 
themselves  extremely  valuable.  They  are  the  kind  of  men 
that  can  never  be  entirely  eliminated  and  there  is  no  desire  to 
do  so,  but  the  gas  business  already  possesses  a  preponderance  of 
this  class  of  men,  and  it  seems  desirable  that  the  new  recruits 
should  come  to  the  gas  business  thoroughly  educated  and 
possessing  all  the  necessary  fundamental  knowledge  to  enable 
them  to  take  up  the  special  problems  of  the  gas  business. 


170 

This,  to  the  writer's  mind,  means  a  college-educated  man  and 
educated  for  the  purpose  of  entering  the  gas  business,  but 
until  some  course  in  gas  engineering  is  provided,  it  probably 
means  a  well-educated  mechanical  engineer  with  special  train- 
ing in  chemistry,  thermo-chemistry,  heat,  combustion,  thermo- 
dynamics, physics  and  economics. 

THE  ADVANTAGES  AND  DISADVANTAGES  OF  A 
COLLEGE  EDUCATION. 

It  is  not  hard  to  find  men  in  the  gas  business  who  have  an 
outspoken  contempt  for  a  college  education.  This  is  due,  in  a 
large  measure,  to  a  misunderstanding  of  the  difference  between 
a  classical  and  an  engineering  education.  Some  of  the  grad- 
uates from  classical  schools  who  have  entered  upon  ordinary 
business  work,  financiering,  pawnbroking,  or  other  like  pro- 
fessions, have  brought  the  whole  college  fraternity  into 
disrepute.  There  are  some  classes  of  work  where  a  classical 
college  education  is  at  least  of  very  doubtful  value,  and,  to 
the  writer's  mind,  is  an  absolute  disadvantage. 

The  American  people  measure  success  by  a  man's  money- 
getting  powers,  and  the  average  money-getter  has  little  or  no 
need  for  education.  These  men  contribute  their  share  toward 
the  world's  progress,  but  they  are  an  element  that  could  be 
sacrificed  with  less  retardation  to  progress  than  could  other 
elements  which  the  public  forgets  and  whose  leaders  are  prob- 
ably unknown  to  the  general  public.  It  is  the  engineer,  the 
scientist  and  the  inventor  who  have  made  this  world  pleasant 
to  live  in,  and  these  men  are  now  gradually  receiving  recog- 
nition. For  this  and  other  reasons,  engineering  is  becoming  a 
more  popular  branch  of  study  and  a  more  respected  profession. 

It  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  you  can  take  four  years  of  a 
man's  life  for  special  education  and  not  be  able  to  better  edu- 
cate him  than  to  rely  upon  the  information  he  may  pick  up  by 
chance  in  some  occupation  providing  for  daily  routine.  If 
such  is  not  the  case,  it  simply  means  that  our  present  methods 
of  education  are  all  wrong,  and  perhaps  the  responsibility  for 
this  condition  rests  on  the  men  like  ourselves.  If  a  college 
education  spoils  a  man,  it  should  be  so  changed  that  it  would 
benefit  him,  and  if  we  are  the  men  who  take  it  upon'ourselves 


171 

to  insist  that  a  college  education  does  spoil  him,  it  is  at  least 
in  a  measure  incumbent  upon  us  to  indicate  how  this  college 
work  should  be  changed  to  make  this  man  useful  to  us. 

Careful  statistics  on  the  progress  of  college-educated  men 
would,  I  think,  surprise  many  people  that  now  ridicule  the 
value  of  college  education.  Dr.  William  W.  Smith,  Chancel- 
lor of  the  Randolph- Macon  College,  has  recently  published 
some  information  on  this  problem.  From  the  last  United 
States  census,  it  appears  that  there  were  14,794,403  males 
over  30  years  old.  The  United  States  Bureau  of  Education 
estimates  that  these  are  divided  educationally  as  follows  : 

Number.        Per  Cent. 

Class  i.     Without  education 1,757,023         n.88 

Class  2.     With      only      common-school 
training  or  trained   outside 

of  organized  schools 12,054,335         81.48 

Class  3.     With      regular       high-school 

training    added 657,432  4-44 

Class  4.     With  college  or  higher  educa- 
tion  added 325,613  2.20 

Taking  the  publication  of  "  Who's  Who  in  America,"  he 
shows  that  of  10,704  notable  people 

Per  Cent. 

24  were  self-taught,  or 0.22 

278  were  home-taught,  or 2.60 

1066  had  common-school  training  only,  or 9-96 

1627  had  high-school  training,  or 15.20 

7709  were  college  trained,  or 72.02 

making  the  very  remarkable  showing  that  while  the  col- 
lege-trained man  represents  only  2.2  of  the  male  population 
over  30  years  old,  yet  72.02  per  cent,  of  the  notables  come 
from  2.2  per  cent,  of  the  population. 

I  do  not  care  to  accept  the  responsibility  of  drawing  an 
absolute  conclusion  from  this  showing,  without  qualifying 
explanations  which  would  be  out  of  place  here,  but  the  figures 
are  submitted  for  what  they  are  worth. 

A  relation  should  exist  between  our  various  engineering 
associations  and  these  educational  institutions,  and  simply  be- 


172 

cause  the  educational  institution  does  not  cultivate  us,  we  are 
not  thereby  relieved  from  our  responsibility  to  cultivate  them. 

With  this  introduction  I  think  we  are  now  prepared  to 
consider  what  our  association  work  should  be,  and  this  would 
be  an  easy  matter  to  state  could  a  pattern  be  found  which  we 
should  follow. 

Is  THERE  ANY  IDEAI,  ASSOCIATION  WHICH  WE 
MAY  COPY? 

We  can  advantageously  study  the  methods  of  other  asso- 
ciations. The  intelligent  and  aggressive  policy  of  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers  at  least  offers  inspiration. 
It  requires  effort  for  me  to  restrain  myself  from  paying  glow- 
ing tribute  to  some  of  the  active  workers  of  that  Society.  Only 
my  inability  to  determine  where  to  stop  deters  me  from  doing 
so.  They  have  the  largest  number  of  real  workers  of  any 
association  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  and  these  workers 
not  only  stand  for  progress  but  they  actively  promote  it. 

The  National  Electric  Light  Association  is  another  society 
which  stands  for  achievement.  For  a  semi-technical  associa- 
tion, their  work  perhaps  excels  any  other  association  of  a  like 
character. 

Much  of  the  work  brought  out  by  the  American  Society 
gf  Mechanical  Engineers  is  exceedingly  high  grade.  The  work 
of  Mr.  F.  W.  Taylor  is  particularly  valuable  and  interesting. 
His  recent  paper  on  ' '  Shop  Management ' '  is  especially  origi- 
nal and  is  equally  valuable  to  members  and  to  many  men  out- 
side that  society's  membership.  To  the  writer's  mind,  this 
paper  is  the  first  full  step  towards  putting  management  on  the 
plane  of  a  science  rather  than  a  demonstration  of  the  talents 
born  in  a  man. 

Possibly  all  of  the  big  societies  have  features  which  could 
be  advantageously  adopted  by  us,  but  the  ideal  association  does 
not  exist  because  the  economics  of  association  management 
has  not  been  recognized  as  a  definite  study  demanding  special 
treatment. 


173 

THE  DISTINCTION  BETWEEN  GAS  AND  OTHER 
ENGINEERING  SOCIETIES. 

The  gas  business  is  distinctive  and  the  problems  of  gas  en- 
gineering are  peculiarly  extensive.  A  good  gas  engineer 
would  need  to  have  an  education  in  every  branch  of  engineer- 
ing, with  the  possible  exception  of  electrical  engineering.  The 
lack  of  special  college  courses  for  gas  engineering  demands  a 
distinction  between  our  association  work  and  the  association 
work  of  others.  The  commercial  nature  of  many  of  the 
problems  which  we  face  also  calls  for  a  distinction.  The  lack 
of  uniformity  of  the  opinions,  education  and  condition  of  the 
men  composing  the  gas  fraternity  likewise  demands  distinction. 
The  quasi-public  character  of  our  business  must  also  be  con- 
sidered. The  condition  of  our  literature  demands  special 
treatment.  Inability  to  secure  investigation  and  research 
work  by  the  individual  members  of  the  gas  fraternity  must 
likewise  be  considered.  The  writer  must  therefore  conclude 
that  no  ideal  association  exists  after  which  we  may  copy,  and 
that  our  conditions  are  so  unique  that  we  must  analyze  the 
problem  which  confronts  us  and  then  by  synthesis  build  up  an 
organization  calculated  to  meet  our  special  requirements. 

Before  attempting  to  discuss  specifically  what  the  ideal 
gas  association  should  be,  I  would  like  to  outline  the  plans  of 
one  gas  association,  and  it  may  offer  some  suggestions  for  the 
formation  of  a  plan  for  the  ideal  gas  association. 

A  BRIEF  HISTORY  AND  AN  OUTLINE   OF  THE  POLICY 
OF  ONE  GAS  ASSOCIATION. 

Until  recently  the  association  of  which  I  speak  was  con- 
ducted in  much  the  same  manner  as  all  associations.  At  a 
meeting  of  the  officers  and  some  of  the  prominent  members  of 
this  association  the  problems  confronting  the  gas  fraternity 
were  discussed  and  the  following  conclusions  were  reached  : 

First — That  problems  were  piling  up  in  the  gas  business 
faster  than  they  were  being  disposed  of. 

Second — That  the  number  of  active  workers  in  association 
work  was  too  small  to  insure  a  disposal  of  these  problems. 


174 

Third — That  a  gas  engineer  had  no  distinct  recognized 
standing  amongst  other  professional  engineers. 

Fourth — That  gas  associations  could  advantageously  co- 
operate with  other  engineering  societies. 

Fifth — That  to  properly  solve  the  problems  of  the  gas  bus- 
iness, they  must  be  specified  in  some  manner  and  be  disposed 
of  in  the  order  of  their  importance. 

Sixth — That  all  of  the  men  capable  of  doing  valuable  as- 
sociation work  must  in  some  way  be  located  and  encouraged  to 
contribute. 

Seventh — That  some  effective  means  should  be  adopted  to 
encourage  research  and  investigation  work. 
;  Eighth — That  means  should  be  taken  to  render  gas  litera- 
ture more  extensive  and  available. 

Ninth — That  the  ideal  gas  association  would  be  that  as- 
sociation wherein  each  member  was  doing  some  individual 
work  for  the  benefit  of  the  entire  gas  fraternity. 

From  these  conclusions  it  was  decided  (first)  to  apportion 
out  from  time  to  time  special  work  to  some  one  man  charged 
with  the  duty  of  keeping  track  of  this  matter  and  reporting 
progress  to  the  association  at  each  convention. 

(Second) — It  was  decided  to  start  some  popular  movement 
whereby  all  who  were  willing  so  to  do  could  contribute  to  the 
association.  This  finally  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  the 
Question  Box  on  a  comprehensive  scale,  the  idea  being  that  it 
would  locate  men  capable  of  contributing  and  that  there  would 
be  no  good  excuse  other  than  unwillingness  for  any  member  of 
the  gas  fraternity  refusing  to  make  some  sort  of  a  contribution. 

(Third) — It  was  proposed  to  inaugurate  a  Research  Depart- 
ment, outlining  all  subjects  upon  which  useful  research  and 
investigation  work  could  be  done,  and  in  order  to  induce  effort 
and  reward  achievement  it  was  proposed  to  award  the  con- 
tributors certificates  of  appreciation  expressing  proper  recog- 
nition of  their  work. 

The  association  to  which  I  refer  was  until  recently  of  lim- 
ited membership.  Its  usefulness  is  still  curtailed,  although  not 
so  much  as  in  the  past,  by  lack  of  funds,  but  the  above  are  the 


175 

general  plans  and  policy  of  the  association,  although  few  of 
the  details  can  be  given  here.  One  feature,  however,  has  re- 
cently been  added,  namely,  a  Revision  Committee,  whose  duty 
it  will  be  to  take  up  the  Question  Box  and  as  far  as  possible  an- 
notate and  correct  the  answers.  A  question  coming  to  the  as- 
sociation will  first  reach  the  Question  Box,  then  the  Revision 
Committee,  and  if  not  fully  and  satisfactorily  answered,  it  will 
be  put  in  the  Research  Department  and  a  certificate  of  appre- 
ciation offered  for  its  solution.  This,  in  a  way,  is  a  comprehen- 
sive scheme  to  secure  better  results  in  association  work.  The 
whole  plan  of  this  association  is  open  for  tlie  investigation  of 
anyone  and  for  the  adoption  by  other  associations  of  any  por- 
tion that  seems  worthy  of  adoption.  It  is  also  their  wish  to 
adopt  any  desirable  innovations  which  may  be  made  by  other 
associations,  whether  gas  associations  or  not. 

COMPETITION  AMONGST  ASSOCIATIONS. 

It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  there  has  been  more  interest 
shown  in  gas  association  work  in  the  past  two  or  three  years 
than  ever  before.  This  interest  is  at  present  manifested  in  the 
form  of  competition,  and  if  this  can  be  confined  to  friendly  com- 
petition without  making  us  forget  that  the  real  object  of  our 
efforts  is  not  association  advancement,  but  fraternity  advance- 
ment, its  stimulating  influence  will  be  extremely  beneficial. 
Competition  to  the  point  of  extreme  stimulation  is  unquestion- 
ably desirable  in  everything,  but  competition  beyond  that  point, 
and  when  it  becomes  destructive,  is  universally  undesirable. 

CRITICISMS  OF  PRESENT  ASSOCIATION  WORK. 

Excepting  for  some  recent  improvements,  my  criticisms  on 
association  work  as  now  conducted  would  be  about  as  follows : 

First — The  organization  plan  is  such  that  sufficient  funds 
are  not  provided  for  carrying  on  the  work  on  a  proper  scale. 

Second — Association  work  lacks  continuity  and  conclusive- 
ness. 

Third — The  annual  convention  is  too  prominent  a  feature 
of  association  work,  or  rather  there  is  little  or  no  work  done 
except  with  the  convention  in  view  as  an  end. 


176 

Fourth — The  limited  time  at  the  disposal  of  a  convention  is 
wholly  inadequate  for  a  solution  of  the  problems  to  be  solved, 
and  either  the  work  of  the  convention  must  be  supplemented 
or  else  their  time  must  be  extended. 

Fifth — The  selection  of  subjects  for  consideration  at  these 
conventions  does  not  reflect  on  the  face  the  careful  forethought 
that  our  problems  deserve.  It  certainly  must  be  axiomatic  that 
if  our  time  is  limited  and  only  a  few  subjects  can  be  consid- 
ered, then  those  should  be  selected  which  are  of  the  most  im- 
portance to  the  gas  business. 

Sixth — Committee  work  lacks  aggressiveness.  It  should  be 
made  plain  to  the  members  that  no  one  should  accept  commit- 
tee appointments  unless  he  is  willing  to  work,  and  it  should  be 
the  duty  of  the  officers  of  the  association  to  see  that  the  com- 
mittees discharge  any  task  which  they  assume. 

Seventh — Very  little  work  has  been  done  to  secure  stand- 
ard apparatus  and  standard  methods.  No  attempt  has  been 
made  to  standardize  gas  nomenclature,  methods  of  testing  ap- 
paratus used  in  gas  manufacture  and  distribution,  sizes  of  coke 
and  names  thereof,  and  no  comprehensive  attempt  has  been 
made  to  standardize  distribution  records  and  other  records  of 
equal  importance. 

Eighth — No  comprehensive  plan  has  been  adopted  or  even 
attempted  for  carrying  on  research  and  investigation  work. 
Such  work  as  has  been  done  has  been  delegated  to  a  very  few 
men  who  could  not  work  out  even  a  major  portion  of  our  prob- 
lems in  a  lifetime. 

Ninth — Litigation  crops  up  from  time  to  time  with  different 
gas  companies,  especially  relating  to  public  control,  in  which 
adverse  decisions  are  apt  to  be  extremely  harmful  and  prejudi- 
cial to  our  present  properties  and  their  future  development,  and 
no  attempt  has  been  made  by  our  associations  to  assist  or  ad- 
vise in  these  litigations,  which  may  for  lack  of  a  proper  defence 
result  in  adverse  decisions  involving  other  companies  in  litiga- 
tion and  lessening  their  opportunity  for  successful  defence 
owing  to  a  precedent  having  already  been  established. 


177 

Tenth — There  is  a  lack  of  co-operation  with  other  engineer- 
ing societies  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  such  co-operation  would 
be  beneficial. 

Eleventh — With  the  exception  of  one  State  organization  to 
which  I  have  not  heretofore  referred,  no  attempt  has  been 
made  to  co-operate  with  educational  institutions,  and  yet  here 
are  a  large  number  of  schools  equipped  for  making  tests  and 
doing  all  sorts  of  scientific  work,  which  would  be  only  too  glad 
to  co-operate  in  the  solution  of  many  problems  which  gas  en- 
gineers encounter,  and  many  of  the  students,  instructors  and 
professors  could  be  directed  in  doing  research  and  investigation 
work  which  would  benefit  us. 

Twelfth — No  attempt  has  been  made  to  induce  gas  compan- 
ies to  encourage  their  men  to  do  original  work  for  the  benefit 
of  gas  associations. 

Thirteenth — No  great  attempt  has  been  made  to  secure  vol- 
untary contributions  and  to  put  the  gas  associations  in  a  posi- 
tion where  they  could  discriminate  in  the  matter  that  they 
would  use  in  making  up  their  programs. 

Fourteenth — There  are  not  enough  members  and  attend- 
ants at  conventions  who  contribute  to  the  proceedings. 

Fifteenth — Office  holding  is  regarded  as  an  honor  rather 
than  a  duty. 

THE  IDEAL  ASSOCIATION. 

It  is  always  well  to  have  some  ideal  plan  towards  which  to 
work.  Disaster  may  follow  revolution,  but  by  evolution 
toward  an  ideal  plan,  constant  and  steady  progress  should  be 
made  until  the  ideal  is  realized.  It  seems  to  the  writer  that 

First — Under  proper  conditions  there  should  be  one,  and 
only  one,  association  of  national  or  international  character. 

Second — This  association  should  have  members  from  every 
gas  company,  including  practically  all  officers  and  ambitious 
employees,  and  should  also  embrace  those  men  doing  gas  engin- 
eering work  whether  in  connection  with  gas  engines  or  other 
industrial  gas  apparatus. 

Third — This  association  should  have  ample  funds  for  prose- 
cuting work  for  the  benefit  of  the  gas  fraternity  in  general. 


178 

Fourth — The  association  should  have  suitable  and  perma- 
nent headquarters,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  all  of  the  large 
engineering  societies  make  their  headquarters  in  New  York 
City,  these  headquarters  should  be  in  New  York  and  preferably 
in  the  proposed  Union  Engineering  Building. 

Fifth — Local  sections  should  be  encouraged  on  something 
like  the  plan  adopted  by  the  American  Institute  of  Electrical 
Engineers,  and  these  local  sections  should  be  furnished  with  gas 
literature  and  other  papers  for  discussions,  and  should  be  en- 
couraged to  meet  frequently. 

Sixth — Monthly  meetings  should  be  held  at  the  headquar- 
ters of  the  aSvSociation  and  locally  by  the  local  sections; 

Seventh — The  association  should  designate  such  subjects 
upon  which  desirable  knowledge  is  lacking. 

Eighth — Great  efforts  should  be  made  to  locate  all  persons 
capable  of  becoming  contributors  to  association  work  and  to 
encourage  them  to  contribute. 

Ninth — Means  should  be  devised  to  encourage  study  and 
individual  improvement  amongst  the  gas  fraternity. 

Tenth — Our  literature  should  be  analyzed,  classified,  in- 
dexed and  revised,  and,  if  necessary,  re-written,  for  the  sake  of 
putting  it  in  more  available  form. 

Eleventh — The  association  should  devise  methods  for  en- 
couraging investigation  and  research  work. 

Twelfth — Professional  educators,  engineers  and  scientists 
should  be  made  interested  in  our  work  and,  if  possible,  induced 
to  contribute  to  our  literature. 

Thirteenth — The  association  should  define  what  constitutes 
a  gas  engineer,  and  should  take  steps  to  establish  gas  engineer- 
ing as  a  recognized  profession. 

The  above  summary  would  certainly  be  an  ambitious  under- 
taking, and  to  many  of  the  gas  fraternity  it  would  probably 
seem  like  a  foolish  one.  They  would  perhaps  feel  that  inas- 
much as  we  have  successfully  conducted  the  gas  business  to  its 
present  development  without  any  such  elaborate  system  of  or- 
ganization, such  a  system  is  therefore  not  necessary  now.  The 
only  answer  that  can  be  made  to  this  is  that  the  same  state- 


179 

ment  could  probably  have  been  made  against  the  formation  of 
gas  associations  if  no  gas  associations  had  ever  been  organized. 
We  will  assume,  however,  that  the  plan  is  at  least  worthy  of 
further  consideration,  in  which  case  it  will  be  necessary  to 
deal  with  some  of  these  headings  which  indicate  only  the  end 
to  be  sought,  and  endeavor  to  find  what  means  would  have  to 
be  adopted. 

AMALGAMATION  INTO  ONE  ASSOCIATION. 

We  will  assume  that  a  new  association  would  be  formed 
which  we  will  call  the  ' '  American  Institute  of  Gas  Engineers 
and  Managers,"  and  that  our  present  associations  will  be  dis- 
banded or  will  become  local  sections  of  the  American  Institute. 
We  will  also  assume  that  this  amalgamation  will  not  take  place 
until  the  present  activity  which  exists  amongst  the  various 
associations  has  resulted  in  securing  membership  from  practi- 
cally every  gas  company  and  from  practically  all  men  inter- 
ested in  gas  engineering  problems. 

To  secure  ample  funds  the  membership  will  consist  of,  first, 
gas  companies,  to  be  known  as  "contributing  members,"  and 
the  dues  will  be  based  largely  on  "what  the  traffic  will  bear." 
We  will  assume  that  gas  companies  will  pay  annual  dues  of  $10 
each,  plus  $i  per  thousand  of  population  served  by  them  up  to 
and  including  90,000,  but  that  no  company  shall  pay  to  exceed 
a  total  fee  of  $100  per  annum.  Officers  and  employees  of  these 
companies  will  be  entitled  to  individual  membership  according 
to  classes  hereinafter  designated,  and  their  yearly  dues  will  be 
$5  per  member.  Others  interested  in  gas  engineering,  but  not 
associated  with  a  company  which  is  a  contributing  member,  will 
be  admitted  to  membership  on  the  same  terms  as  the  officers 
and  employees  of  contributing  members,  except  that  their  dues 
will  be  $10  per  year  instead  of  $5  per  year. 

From  time  to  time,  as  conditions  seem  to  demand,  divisions 
of  membership  will  be  made  into  special  branches.  The  first 
division  will  be  a  technical  division,  which  will  have  its  own 
officers  who  will,  however,  be  subordinate  to  the  general 
officers  of  the  association.  This  technical  division  will  have 
members  designated  by  classes,  as  provided  for  later. 

Local  sections  will  be  encouraged,  particularly  where  many 


180 

gas  companies  are  situated  closely  together,  and  where  there 
are  large  companies  having  enough  engineers  and  interested  em- 
ployees to  meet  and  discuss  the  work  brought  out  in  the  other 
various  local  sections  and  at  the  meetings  of  the  Institute,  such 
Institute  meetings  being  virtually  the  original  local  section 
meetings.  To  enable  officers  and  employees  of  gas  companies  to 
attend  the  meetings,  two  annual  conventions  will  be  held  at 
fixed  points,  or  at  such  place  as  each  convention  may  designate 
for  the  next  meeting  point.  One  of  these  conventions  will  be 
the  technical  convention,  in  which  only  engineering  problems 
of  the  gas  business  will  be  taken  up  and  considered.  The  other 
convention  will  preferably  be  a  general  convention,  where  all 
other  subjects  except  technical  and  engineering  matters  will  be 
considered.  We  will  assume  that  the  technical  convention 
will  be  held  in  February  or  March  of  each  year,  prior  to  the 
season  of  new  construction  work  and  after  the  period  of 
greatest  maximum  demand,  and  that  the  general  meeting  will 
be  held  in  October  of  each  year. 

The  division  of  membership  will  be  as  follows  : 

First — Contributing  Members,  being  company  membership. 

Second — General  Members,  being  advanced  members  not 
identified  with  the  technical  division. 

Third — Associate  General  Members,  being  all  members 
that  are  not  full  General  Members,  or  that  are  not  identified 
with  the  technical  division. 

Fourth — Technical  Members. 

Fifth — Associate  Technical  Members. 

No  distinction  will  be  made  amongst  the  Contributing  Mem- 
bers, but  an  attempt  will  be  made  to  secure  representation  from 
every  gas  company  in  the  country,  it  being  the  understanding 
that  the  association  will  protect  their  investment  as  far  as  it 
lies  within  its  power  so  to  do  and  assist  them  in  every  way 
possible.  The  General  Members  will  be  individuals  entitled  to 
distinction,  either  for  extraordinary  proficiency  in  the  gas  busi- 
ness or  for  active  or  valuable  work  in  promoting  the  interests 
of  the  association.  All  General  Members  shall  originally  be 
elected  as  Associate  General  Members  and  shall  afterwards  be 
elected  to  full  general  membership  only  upon  the  approval  of  a 


181 

properly  constituted  board.  The  fourth  class  of  membership 
shall  be  the  Technical  Members,  but  shall  all  be  originally 
elected  as  Associate  Technical  Members,  but  may  be  elected  to 
full  technical  membership  for  extraordinary  proficiency  in  en- 
gineering or  scientific  work,  but  only  after  contributing  some- 
thing of  value  to  the  proceedings  of  the  association  and  pre- 
ferably along  the  line  of  original  investigation  or  research  work. 
The  fifth  class,  Associate  Technical  Members,  shall  be  elected 
to  full  technical  membership  only  upon  evidence  of  proficiency 
in  professional  work  and  suitable  contributions  to  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  institute,  and  upon  the  unanimous  recommendation 
of  a  properly  constituted  board. 

Professional  educators  and  scientists  may  be  elected  to  as- 
sociate technical  membership  or  associate  general  membership 
without  dues,  and  may  be  advanced  to  general  membership 
without  dues  upon  the  same  qualifications  and  conditions  as 
would  govern  the  advancement  of  other  members,  the  only 
distinction  being  that  they  would  pay  no  dues,  it  being  the 
expectation  that  these  men  would  contribute  more  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  institute  than  the  institute  would  contribute  to  them. 
The  condition  would  be  imposed,  however,  that  they  would 
either  be  dropped  from  membership  at  the  end  of  the  year  or 
re-elected  each  year. 

The  plan  here  suggested  for  division  memberships  need  not 
be  dwelt  on  at  length.  The  two  primary  objects  are  (first)  to 
insure  to  the  institute  sufficient  funds  and  (second)  to  stimu- 
late individual  progress,  provide  for  the  recognition  of  worthy 
members  and  encourage  contributions  by  holding  out  the  in- 
ducement of  advancement  in  membership. 

MEANS  FOR  LOCATING  DESIRED  INFORMATION. 

Probably  every  gas  engineer  has  spent  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  his  time  looking  for  information  that  could  not  be  found 
in  any  of  the  text  books.  During  the  last  year  the  writer  has 
made  a  fruitless  search  on  several  problems,  failing  to  locate 
the  information  necessary  for  his  purpose. 

A  few  examples  may  bring  out  more  plainly  what  is 
intended  by  "information  desired." 


182 

Example  A.  It  was  desired  to  know  the  specific  heat  at 
various  temperatures  of  superheated  steam  contained  in  the 
combustion  products  of  a  gas  appliance.  No  exact  informa- 
tion could  be  found. 

Example  B.  The  heat  conductivity  of  fire  brick  was 
wanted.  No  reliable  information  could  be  located. 

Example  C.  The  specific  heat  of  fire  brick  material  was 
wanted.  No  reliable  information  could  be  found. 

Example  D.  The  latent  heat  of  various  ingredients  of 
crude  oil  was  needed.  No  complete  information  could  be 
obtained. 

Example  E.  It  was  desired  to  build  a  highly  efficient  air 
inductor,  and  the  laws  of  induction  and  the  method  of  deter- 
mining the  efficiency  of  the  inductor  were  wanted.  No  relia- 
ble laws  could  be  found,  and  no  prescribed  method  could  be 
found  for  determining  the  efficiency  of  this  apparatus. 
Experimental  work  had  to  be  resorted  to. 

Example  F.  It  was  desired  to  know  at  what  rate  fire  brick 
material  would  give  off  the  heat  stored  in  it  to  the  surrounding 
gas  and  oil.  No  information  on  this  subject  could  be  found. 
In  connection  with  this  subject,  it  was  also  desired  to  know 
whether  the  core  of  standard  sized  brick  did  any  work  what- 
ever, and  if  so,  how  much.  It  was  believed  that  the  transmis- 
sion of  heat  from  the  centre  of  the  brick  was  too  slow  to  be 
effective,  and  that  the  outer  portion  of  the  brick  did  the  bulk 
of  all  the  work  and  the  core  practically  none. 

These  are  simply  a  few  examples  of  the  problems  which  the 
gas  engineer  meets  every  day.  Joint  participation  in  a  scheme 
like  the  Question  Box  will  locate  information  to  be  desired  and 
will  perhaps  bring  out  the  desired  information. 

ACCURACY  OF  QUESTION   Box  INFORMATION. 

As  the  Question  Box  is  now  conducted,  the  information 
contained  in  it  cannot  always  be  relied  upon  as  accurate. 
This,  however,  can  be  largely  overcome  by  putting  the  Ques- 
tion Box,  after  publication,  into  the  hands  of  a  Revision  Com- 
mittee, whose  duty  it  will  be  to  see  that  all  questions  are 
(first)  completely  answered,  and  (second)  reliably  and  prop- 


183 

erly  answered,  the  committee  supplying  such  information  as 
may  be  lacking,  as  far  as  it  lies  within  their  power  so  to  do. 
If  they  cannot  supply  complete  and  reliable  information,  it  is 
because  it  is  not  available  in  our  present  literature. 

THE  SUPPLY  OF  THIS  UNAVAILABLE  INFORMATION. 

A  Board  should  be  created  to  stimulate,  encourage  and 
direct  research  work.  The  Revision  Committee  of  the  Ques- 
tion Box  will  turn  over  to  this  Board  all  matter  on  which 
information  is  wanted,  and  it  will  then  be  the  duty  of  this 
Board  to  supply  this  information  by  some  means,  and  if  nec- 
essary, by  putting  investigators  to  work.  It  is  to  be  supposed 
that  this  Board  would  have  the  active  support  of  the  more 
aggressive  gas  companies,  would  encourage  thesis  work  on  the 
part  of  students  of  universities  and  would  induce  engineers, 
officers  and  employees  of  gas  companies  to  undertake  this 
investigation  work.  Failing  to  secure  it  without  expense  to 
the  association,  it  would  be  within  the  power  of  this  Board  to 
incur  expenses  to  a  maximum  representing  the  actual  cost  of 
the  work  for  materials,  labor,  etc.,  plus  a  payment  for  super- 
visory work  on  the  part  of  some  engineer  who  might  be  an 
employee  of  some  gas  company,  or  an  instructor  or  professor 
in  a  college. 

A  LITERATURE   REVISION   BOARD. 

This  Board  will  undertake  to  digest  and  index  all  literature 
directly  pertaining  to  the  gas  business  or  of  value  to  the  gas 
fraternity.  They  would  be  given  ample  funds  to  employ 
proper  persons  for  doing  the  reading  and  indexing.  Card 
indexes  would  be  furnished  to  all  members  and  k'ept  up  to  date 
by  mailing  to  members  additional  cards  at  periodic  intervals. 

THE   BUILDING  OF  A   HAND-BOOK. 

Efforts  would  be  made  to  stimulate  original  work  on  the 
part  of  the  members  towards  building  up  a  complete  hand-book 
for  gas  engineers  somewhat  of  the  character  of  Kent's  Hand- 
Book  for  Mechanical  Engineers.  A  list  of  subjects  would  be 
furnished  to  volunteers,  permitting  them  to  decide  upon  which 
subject  they  would  compile  the  necessary  information  for  a 


184 

hand-book.  These  data  would  be 'sent  to  the  Literature 
Revision  Board,  and  as  soon  as  possible  a  hand-book  would  be 
published.  If  the  funds  of  the  institute  did  not  permit  this 
publication  to  be  undertaken  gratis  for  the  benefit  of  the  mem- 
bers, a  subscription  would  be  asked  for  on  the  basis  of  say  $20 
per  hand-book.  This  $20  would  be  expected  to  cover  the  pre- 
paratory cost  of  the  work  and  supply  each  subscriber  with 
one  copy.  Supplemental  bulletins  would  be  furnished  as  new 
information  should  be  obtained,  and  as  soon  as  the  mass  of 
new  information  gathered  would  warrant  doing  so,  the  old 
hand-book  wrould  be  re-published  with  the  additional  informa- 
tion secured  in  the  interim.  Owners  of  hand-books  would  be 
permitted  to  exchange  for  the  new  hand-books,  paying  only 
the  cost  of  re-printing  the  hand-book  from  the  old  plates, 
with  new  leaves  added  for  the  additional  information  properly 
placed  for  ready  reference.  For  instance,  if  the  cost  of  this 
re-publication  would  not  amount  to  more  than  $2.00  per  volume, 
this  would  be  all  that  would  be  asked  in  exchange  for  the  new 
publication,  in  addition  to  returning  the  old  hand-book,  which 
would  be  destroyed.  Original  subscribers  would  always  be 
expected  to  pay  their  share  of  the  original  cost  of  publication. 
In  other  words,  the  first  hand-book  would  cost  them  $20,  and 
each  time  they  would  exchange  them  the  cost  would  be 
approximately  $2. 

By  careful  preparation,  the  writer  believes  that  more  infor- 
mation of  value  could  be  put  in  a  small  hand-book  of  this 
character  than  is  contained  in  the  most  complete  gas-engineer- 
ing library  now  in  existence. 

BOARD   OF   AWARDS. 

To  stimpulate  contributions  to  the  Question  Box,  hand-book, 
and  investigation  and  research  work,  suitable  awards  would  be 
given.  Credit  certificates,  properly  engraved  and  suitable  for 
framing,  would  be  given  for  work  done  and  information  fur- 
nished. When  a  holder  thereof  would  secure,  say,  100  points 
in  credit  slips,  he  would  then  be  entitled  to  receive  a  hand- 
somely engraved  certificate  of  appreciation,  properly  framed. 
For  extraordinary  work,  gold  medals  would  be  given.  Recom- 
mendations would  be  made  by  each  Board  to  the  Board  of 


185 

Awards,  and  the  latter  Board  would  determine  (their  decision 
being  final)  what  award  should  be  made  for  each  piece  of 
work  done.  These  awards  would  be  made  without  distinction 
between  classes  of  membership,  and  would  also  be  given  to 
non-members  of  the  institute. 

EDUCATIONAL  BOARD. 

The  present  correspondence  school  of  the  American  Gas 
Light  Association  would  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  board  of 
directors,  and,  if  possible,  its  scope  and  usefulness  increased. 
Joint  education  on  the  part  of  students,  by  availing  themselves 
of  other  courses  in  regular  correspondence  schools,  would  be 
encouraged.  A  standard  of  educational  attainments  necessary 
for  qualifying  as  a  gas  engineer  would  be  determined  upon, 
and,  if  possible,  technical  universities  would  be  induced  to  pro- 
vide a  course  in  gas  engineering,  awarding  a  degree  of  Bache- 
lor of  Science  in  Gas  Engineering.  The  master's  degree 
would  be  given  only  after  practical  experience,  and  upon 
recommendation  by  the  Educational  Board  to  the  university 
awarding  the  degree. 

BOARD    OP    REPRESENTATIVES    UPON    RELATIONS    WITH 
OTHER  ENGINEERING  AND   SCIENTIFIC  SOCIETIES. 

A  great  deal  of  the  information  needed  in  the  gas  business 
is  also  needed  in  other  branches  of  engineering.  The  secure- 
ment  of  this  information  by  one  technical  society  should  suffice 
for  all.  Much  of  the  work  in  engineering  is  common  to  two 
or  more  branches,  and  while  specialism  is  the  order  of  the  day, 
yet  there  is  a  marked  tendency  towards  the  development  of  a 
universal  engineer  and  universal  and  common  engineering 
practice.  We  are  drifting  towards  *  *  Engineers  of  Energetics  ' ' 
as  a  body,  and  individually  we  are  specializing  on  many  mi- 
nute branches  of  engineering.  Most  branches  of  engineering 
are  simply  a  combination  of  the  education  of  the  physicist  and 
the  mathematician.  For  special  branches,  we  need  only  add 
to  these  the  education  of  the  chemist  and  the  electrician. 

Co-operation  between  gas  engineering  societies  in  all  coun- 
tries, and  also  co-operation  amongst  all  sorts  of  engineering 
societies  is  desirable.  Some  of  our  well-known  American 


186 

engineering  bodies  would  welcome  a  closer  affiliation  between 
different  engineering  societies,  and  the  building  of  the  Union 
Engineering  Building  will  do  much  to  bring  this  about  natur- 
ally. But  this  is  a  condition  which  can  be  largely  anticipated. 

It  will  be  the  duty  of  the  Board  of  Representatives  to  co- 
operate with  the  representatives  of  other  engineering  societies 
for  the  mutual  advancement  of  all.  It  seems  particularly 
desirable  that  the  American  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Engineering  Education  should  have  the  unqualified  support  of 
every  engineering  body.  The  engineering  education  of  our 
young  men  is  often  entrusted  to  educators  who  do  not  come  in 
close  contact  with  any  professional  men  except  other  profes- 
sional educators. 

Perhaps  the  most  contemptible  man  and  the  most  contempti- 
ble class  are  the  chronic  critics.  They  are  the  men  who,  as  a 
rule,  console  themselves  by  criticizing  what  everyone  else  does 
and  who  never  do  anything  themselves.  These  critics  are 
particularly  noticeable  in  matters  pertaining  to  education. 
They  speak  with  that  self-sufficient  confidence  which  can  be 
born  only  of  dense  ignorance  and,  as  a  rule,  ridicule  all  higher 
education  and  disparage  the  ability  of  men  who  have  been 
given  this  higher  education.  That  the  present  methods  of 
engineering  education  leave  nothing  to  be  desired,  or  that  they 
are  incapable  of  improvement,  probably  no  one  would  attempt 
to  maintain,  but  efforts  at  correction  should  precede  criticisms, 
or  at  least  criticisms  should  only  be  uttered  for  the  sake  of 
stimulating  improvement  or  as  a  reason  for  changes.  If  the 
existing  educational  methods  do  not  properly  fit  a  student  for 
practical  work,  it  seems  to  the  writer  that  the  responsibility 
for  this  improvement  does  not  rest  entirely  with  the  profes- 
sional educator,  but  also  with  the  practicing  engineer  and 
especially  our  engineering  bodies.  It  may  be  unreasonable  to 
expect  the  practicing  engineers,  either  individually  or  collect- 
ively, to  devote  their  time  to  a  solution  of  this  problem;  but  if 
they  insist  upon  exercising  their  privilege  of  criticizing  present 
methods,  they,  by  inference,  set  themselves  up  as  authorities 
on  the  question  of  how  this  education  should  be  conducted,  or 
at  least  of  the  scope  of  the  education  which  the  student  engi- 
neer should  receive. 


187 
CONCLUSIONS. 

These  views  are  presented  to  you  for  what  they  are  worth. 
It  is  hoped  that  they  may  offer  at  least  some  suggestions  for 
improvement.  The  recommendations  made  are  not  submitted 
necessarily  for  adoption,  but  rather  for  thought,  consideration 
and  discussion.  To  the  writer's  knowledge  no  general  treat- 
ment of  gas  association  work  has  heretofore  been  offered.  The 
start  must  be  made  at  some  time.  The  introduction  of  a  sub- 
ject like  this  is  of  necessity  apt  to  be  crude  and  capable  of 
refinement.  Much  of  the  matter  contained  in  this  paper  is 
open  to  criticism  and  criticism  will  be  welcome  ;  but  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  for  the  sake  of  progress  the  criticisms  of  those  who 
disagree  with  the  views  expressed  herein  will  be  accompanied 
by  concrete  recommendations  of  better  methods,  and  a  justifi- 
cation of  their  criticisms. 


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194 

After  reading  the  paper,  Mr.  Doherty  said  : 
As  you  probably  know,  the  British  Gas  Engineering  Asso- 
ciations are  considering  a  scheme  for  affiliation.  I  have 
carefully  watched  the  English  journals,  but  cannot  quite  see 
what  the  object  of  the  affiliation  is.  They  talk  about  "In 
union  there  is  strength,"  but  there  is  nothing  very  definite 
about  their  plans,  as  far  as  I  can  make  them  out,  so  I  wrote 
to  Mr.  Walter  King,  the  editor  of  the  Journal  of  Gas  Light- 
ing, of  London,  England,  and  asked  him  if  he  would  not 
give  me  answers  to  a  number  of  questions,  and  I  asked  him 
to  sum  up  his  views  and  tell  me  what  the  object  of  the 
affiliation  is  and  what  they  hope  to  accomplish.  I  have 
received  his  letter  this  morning.  I  expected  to  touch  on 
the  English  attempt  at  affiliation  in  my  paper,  but  I  could 
not  gather  enough  from  the  journals  to  feel  safe  in  writing 
about  it ;  but  I  take  it,  from  all  I  can  hear  now,  that  they  are 
aiming  to  bring  about  an  affiliation  of  the  Gas  Associations, 
and  to  discover  the  advantages  of  the  affiliation  later. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Aldrich)  :  It  has  afforded  me  pecu- 
liar pleasure  to  preside  during  the  reading  of  this  splendid 
and  remarkable  paper  on  Gas  Association  work  by  Mr. 
Doherty,  and  thanking  you  for  the  honor  conferred  upon  me, 
I  am  pleased,  Mr.  Norris,  to  again  turn  the  meeting  over  to 
you. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Norris)  :  I  will  now  ask  to  take 
charge  of  the  meeting  a  man  who  has  at  some  time  or  other 
presided  over  meetings  attended  by  almost  everyone  present,  as 
President  of  one  or  other  of  the  Gas  Associations,  and  I  again 
introduce  a  man  who  needs  no  introduction,  Col.  Edward  G. 
Pratt,  of  Milwaukee. 

Mr.  Pratt  took  the  chair. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  (Louisville,  Ky.)  :  Mr.  Doherty 
has  treated  a  very  large  subject  and  covered  it  like  a  very 
large  blanket,  and  before  we  go  into  a  general  discussion  of  it 
I  want  to  ask  the  Congress  to  take  up  what  I  consider  the  most 
important  recommendation  in  the  paper,  and  that  is  on  page 
177,  as  follows:  "Under  proper  conditions  there  should  be 
one,  and  only  one,  Association  of  National  or  International 


195 

character."  With  a  view  to  testing  the  sense  of  this  Congress 
as  to  whether  or  not  that  recommendation  meets  with  the 
approval  of  the  delegates  to  this  Congress,  I  offer  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  : 

RESOLVED  that  it  is  the  sense  of  this  body  that  all  of  the  gas 
men  in  North  America  should  be  united  in  one  Association, 
with  local  Chapters  where  conditions  make  them  desirable. 

If  the  resolution  meets  with  a  second,  I  desire  to  say  a  few 
words  regarding  it. 

The  resolution  was  seconded. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  My  object  in  offering  that  resolu- 
tion in  that  brief  form  is  that,  if  we  do  not  want  to  go  into 
this  movement  at  all,  it  is  useless  to  discuss  details.  If  we 
agree  on  the  movement  as  a  whole  it  will  then  be  time  enough 
to  take  up  the  details  regarding  the  proposition. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt)  :  The  resolution  is  before  the 
Congress  for  consideration.  Is  there  any  discussion  upon  it  ? 
(Cries  of  "Question.") 

The  resolution  was  put  to  vote  and  unanimously  carried. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  With  a  view  to  carrying  out 
that  resolution  I  offer  the  following  : 

RESOLVED  that  a  committee  be  appointed  by  the  President 
of  this  Congress,  consisting  of  two  members  of  each  Associa- 
tion and  three  members  representing  the  gas  industry  at  large, 
which  committee  shall  draw  up  a  comprehensive  plan  provid- 
ing for  a  single  Gas  Association  to  be  composed  of  the  men 
engaged  in  the  gas  industry  in  North  America ;  the  plan  to 
be  submitted  to  each  of  the  now  existing  Gas  Associations  for 
ratification  or  amendment,  the  committee  to  remain  in  ex- 
istence and  to  continue  to  represent  this  Congress  until  such 
time  as  the  new  Association  has  been  organized  and  is  in 
working  order. 

If  this  resolution  meets  with  a  second,  I  will  say  something 
in  explanation  of  it. 

The  resolution  was  seconded. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  My  idea  is  that  the  only  way 
that  rivals  can  be  brought  together  is  through  the  mediation  of 


196 

a  third  party.  I  know  of  no  individual,  and  of  no  association 
that  would  answer  the  purpose  of  a  third  party  in  this  case  as 
well  as  this  Congress.  When  this  Congress  adjourns  I  would 
like  it  to  leave  behind  a  committee  which  can  represent  its 
authority,  and  represent  the  fact  that  the  Congress  is  com- 
posed of  representatives  of  the  whole  country  and  of  all  the 
Associations.  I  believe  if  this  committee  is  appointed  and  the 
work  left  in  their  hands  that  in  a  short  time  we  will  have  this 
movement,  which  we  all  desire,  an  accomplished  fact. 

MR.  E.  G.  COWDERY  (St.  Louis,  Mo.)  :  Mr.  McDonald,  I 
think,  is  mistaken  to  the  extent  that  this  Congress  has  no 
President.  It  is  governed  by  the  Presidents  of  all  the  Asso- 
ciations. If  the  Presidents  of  all  the  Associations  will  appoint 
a  committee,  I  think  the  resolution  would  be  quite  acceptable. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  I  accept  the  suggestion,  and 
will  make  an  amendment  accordingly  in  the  wording  of  the 
resolution. 

MR.  JOHN  MC!LHENNY  :  I  heartily  approve  of  Mr.  McDon- 
ald's unacted-upon  resolution.  I  think  the  only  fault  with 
the  second  resolution  is  that  the  representation  from  the  dif- 
ferent organizations  is  not  large  enough.  I  think  that  two 
men  from  each  organization  is  not  enough  to  properly  repre- 
sent the  Associations  on  this  committee,  and  I  would  favor  a 
larger  representation  from  the  different  Associations,  increas- 
ing the  committee,  doubling  it,  if  you  please. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  My  experience  is  that  two 
men  will  work  more  effectively  than  a  larger  number  of  men. 
If  there  are  two  men  from  each  Association  it  will  be  easier  to 
get  them  together,  and  easier  for  them  to  do  the  work.  I  am 
not  disposed  to  insist  on  details,  however.  If  this  Congress 
thinks  a  representation  of  four  men  from  each  Association 
will  be  preferable,  I  will  incorporate  it  in  the  resolution. 

MR.  A.  E.  BOARDMAN  (New  York  City)  :  Do  I  understand 
that  the  amendment  suggested  by  Mr.  Cowdery  is  accepted  ? 
that  the  appointment  of  the  members  from  the  various  Asso- 
ciations be  left  with  the  President  of  each  Association  ? 


197 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  That  was  accepted,  and  is  in- 
corporated in  the  resolution. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt)  :  With  that  understanding, 
gentlemen,  are  you  ready  for  the  question  ? 

(Cries  of  "  Question.") 

The  resolution,  which  in  its  amended  form  was  as  follows  : 

RESOLVED  that  a  committee  be  appointed  by  the  Board  of 
Presidents  of  this  Congress,  consisting  of  two  members  of 
each  Association  and  three  members  representing  the  gas 
industry  at  large,  which  committee  shall  draw  up  a  compre- 
hensive plan  providing  for  a  single  Gas  Association  to  be 
composed  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  gas  industry  in  North 
America  ;  the  plan  to  be  submitted  to  each  of  the  now  existing 
Gas  Associations  for  ratification  or  amendment,  the  committee 
to  remain  in  existence  and  to  continue  to  represent  this  Con- 
gress until  such  time  as  the  new  Association  has  been  organized 
and  is  in  working  order, 
was  put  to  vote  and  unanimously  carried. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  In  order  to  make  this  matter 
complete  I  would  like  further  to  move  that  the  Secretary  of 
this  Congress  be  authorized  and  instructed  to  act  as  the 
Secretary  for  this  committee,  the  compensation  of  the  Secretary 
to  be  arranged  for. 

MR.  ROLLIN  NORRIS  (Philadelphia):  I  do  not  see  any  par- 
ticular reason  why  the  committee  should  not  appoint  its  own 
secretary  in  some  way.  The  conditions  may  be  such  as  to 
make  it  desirable  that  they  should  do  so.  Possibly  Mr. 
McDonald  has  some  reason  for  covering  the  point  now. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  My  object  is  this — that  unless 
you  appoint  a  chairman  you  have  no  way  of  getting  the  com- 
mittee together.  There  is  no  central  point  to  which  the 
views  of  the  various  members  can  be  sent.  The  committee 
will  be  appointed  after  the  Congress  adjourns,  and  the  members 
of  the  committee  will  reside  in  many  different  cities.  There 
must  be  some  plan  provided  by  which  they  can  be  enabled  to 
act  as  a  unit,  and  wishing  to  leave  in  the  hands  of  the  com- 
mittee the  selection  of  their  own  chairman,  I  wanted  to  have 


198 

appointed  a  secretary  who  could  send  out  the  various  com- 
munications and  enable  the  members  of  the  committee  to  get 
together. 

MR.  A.  E.  BOARDMAN  :  I  think  the  object  could  be  attained 
by  appointing  a  temporary  secretary  until  the  committee 
should  meet  and  select  its  own  secretary. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  I  would  be  willing  to  accept 
that  amendment. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt):  The  question  is  that  the 
secretary  of  the  Congress  shall  act  as  the  temporary  secretary 
of  the  committee  until  the  organization  of  the  committee  is 
effected. 

The  motion  was  unanimously  carried.    ' 

MR.  THOS.  D.  MILLER  (New  Orleans,  La.):  There  is  one 
prop  missing  in  the  structure  which  Mr.  McDonald  has  so- 
rapidly  built.  He  has  not  provided  in  his  resolution  the 
means  of  appointing  the  three  delegates  at  large  which  he 
speaks  of,  or  if  the  amendment  which  was  suggested,  that 
there  be  six  delegates  at  large,  was  adopted,  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  these  six  delegates. 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  That  amendment  was  not 
adopted. 

MR.  THOS.  D.  MILLER  :  How  are  the  members  at  large 
that  you  speak  of  to  be  appointed  ? 

Mr.  Donald  McDonald  again  read  the  resolution  and  said  : 
I  originally  had  it  President  of  this  Congress,  but  my  atten- 
tion has  been  called  to  the  fact  that  there  is  no  President  of 
the  Congress,  and  in  the  shape  in  which  the  resolution  is 
adopted  the  appointment  of  the  committee  would  lie  in  the 
hands  of  the  body  of  men  who  stand  in  the  position  of  the 
Presidents  of  this  Congress.  Does  that  suit  you  ? 

MR.  THOS.  D.  MILLER  :  I  am  the  easiest  fellow  in  the 
world  to  be  satisfied.  All  I  wanted  to  know  is  that  the  thing 
was  provided  for.  If  the  Presidents  of  the  different  Associa- 
tions that  have  been  acting  as  chairmen  of  the  Congress  will 
get  together  and  make  the  appointments  it  will  be  all  right. 


199 

MR.  DONALD  MCDONALD  :  I  move,  to  settle  that  question, 
that  the  delegates  at  large  be  appointed  by  Messrs.  Pratt, 
Norris  and  Doherty. 

MR.  WILLIAM  MCDONALD  (Albany,  N.  Y.):  I  suggest 
that  the  selection  of  the  three  delegates  at  large  be  left  to 
the  delegates  appointed  by  the  Presidents  of  the  Association 
— that  the  committee  at  large  select  these  three  men. 

MR.  A.  E.  FORSTALL  (New  York  City):  I  do  not  think 
there  is  need  for  any  further  action  than  has  been  taken 
in  the  adoption  of  Mr.  Donald  McDonald's  resolution.  That 
provides  that  the  board  of  presiding  officers  of  this  Congress 
shall  appoint  a  certain  committee,  which  committee  is  to  con- 
sist of  two  members  from  each  of  the  present  existing  Gas 
Associations,  and  three  members  from  the  representatives  of 
outside  gas  companies  who  do  not  belong  to  the  associations. 
That  covers  the  whole  thing.  These  outside  men  are  ap- 
pointed by  the  same  power  which  appoints  the  members  of 
the  committee  from  the  Gas  Associations.  There  is  no  neces- 
sity for  any  further  action,  as  I  see  it. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt):  That  is  my  idea  of  the  situa- 
tion, and  any  further  suggestions  will  be  out  oT  order,  as  the 
matter  is  entirely  provided  for. 

Is  there  to  be  any  discussion  on  the  paper  read  by  Mr. 
Doherty  ? 

MR.  ALTEN  S.  MILLER  (Baltimore,  Md.):  I  am  more  than 
pleased  to  note  that  Mr.  Doherty 's  paper  has  resulted  in  the 
taking  of  action  by  the  Congress  in  the  way  I  hoped  it  would 
be  taken.  It  is  undoubtedly  better  that  there  should  be  one 
gas  association,  and  still  better  that  there  should  be  one  asso- 
ciation of  engineers.  The  questions  that  Mr.  Doherty  wishes 
to  solve  and  which  he  quotes,  are  questions  for  an  engineering 
association  and  are  not  especially  adapted  to  the  gas  business. 

Regarding  the  general  contents  of  the  paper  I  would  say 
that  the  counts  in  the  indictment  against  the  gas  engineer  are 
so  many  and  so  varied  that  about  the  only  thing  I  can  do,  or 
that  the  gas  engineer  can  do,  not  having  had  time  to  prepare 
his  defense,  is  to  enter  a  general  denial  and  the  plea  of 
Not  Guilty. 


200 

In  the  first  place,  the  reason  that  there  are  no  specially 
•educated  gas  engineers  might  well  be  answered  by  reference 
to  page  156.  There  it  is  stated  that  the  gas  business  is  a  manu- 
facturing business,  a  transportation  business,  a  collection 
business,  an  investment  business,  a  mercantile  business  and  a 
development  business.  As  far  as  I  know  there  are  no  special 
steam  railroad  engineers  educated  at  college  as  such,  and  there 
are  no  special  street  railway  engineers.  These  are  specialties 
or  generalizations,  if  I  may  so  put  it,  which  are  taken  up 
after  a  man  leaves  college,  and  very  few  of  us  would  have 
either  the  disposition  or  the  time  to  spend  at  college  in  study- 
ing the  specialties  that  are  required.  Our  technical  training- 
supplies  the  means  whereby  we  can  decide  what  is  right  and 
what  is  wrong,  or  to  get  at  the  truth.  The  college  education 
supplies  the  fundamental  requirements  to  teach  us  what  is  the 
truth,  what  is  possible,  and  what  is  impossible.  Education 
further  teaches  us  how  to  apply  that  knowledge  and  then 
turns  us  out  to  specialize  afterwards.  I  think  it  is  a  mistake 
to  attempt  to  specialize  too  early.  We  should  learn  what  is 
true,  and  we  should  decide  very  clearly  between  what  we 
know  and  what  we  do  not  know.  There  is  too  much  assump- 
tion of  facts  and  too  great  a  tendency  to  follow  along  a  rut 
because  we  have  always  travelled  in  that  rut  and  because  our 
predecessors  travelled  in  that  rut. 

Mr.  Doherty  quotes  special  cases.  He  says  ' '  There  is  no 
standard  method  of  conducting  steam  in  and  about  a  gas 
works. ' '  Why  should  there  be  ?  There  are  no  standard  gas 
works,  and  why  should  there  be  a  standard  gas  works? 
There  are  no  two  pieces  of  land  exactly  alike  and  there  are 
no  two  conditions  that  are  identical.  If  we  are  trained  to 
realize  the  conditions  as  presented  to  us  and  to  know  what  is 
best  for  any  special  situation,  it  does  not  require  us  to  stand- 
ardize the  works.  If  a  man  realizes  the  possibilities  of  each 
piece  of  apparatus  and  understands  the  problem  of  handling 
raw  material  and  his  finished  product,  he  can  build  his  gas 
works  to  suit  himself  instead  of  buying  it  by  the  yard.  Mr. 
Doherty  refers  to  Mr.  Glasgow's  paper  and  states  that  no 
organized  efforts  have  been  made  to  create  a  standard  for 
measuring  the  efficiency  of  the  class  of  apparatus  tested 


201 

by  Mr.  Glasgow.  After  Mr.  Glasgow's  paper  I  do  not  think 
any  is  needed.  That  is  a  standard. 

I  think  also  that  Gas  Associations  should  not  attempt  to 
design  standards.  I  think  the  Gas  Associations  should  sim- 
ply disseminate  the  truth  and  the  facts  and  leave  it  to  the 
individuals  to  design  apparatus.  If  a  new  piece  of  apparatus 
is  put  on  the  market  I  think  that  it  is  well,  if  possible,  for 
the  Gas  Associations  to  determine  on  its  capabilities  with  pos- 
sible suggestions,  but  I  do  not  believe  in  having  things  tied 
down  to  specific  standards.  Take  a  gas  range,  for  instance — 
why  should  we  tie  down  to  a  specific  standard  when  there  are 
ten  or  a  dozen  ranges  manufactured,  each  of  which  is  as 
good  as  any  other,  and  each  of  us  may  have  our  own  prefer- 
ence for  one  special  style  ?  Why  should  we  throw  the  other 
eleven  men  out  of  business  and  buy  the  twelfth  man's 
appliance,  or  make  the  eleven  men  change  their  appli- 
ances, in  order  to  conform  to  a  standard  ?  I  do  not  think 
we  should  do  any  such  thing.  When  it  comes  to  street  main 
specials  and  any  material  which  works  in  connection  with 
other  material,  then  it  is  important  that  we  should  have 
standards,  but  in  the  case  of  material  which  does  not  work  in 
connection  with  other  material,  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  a 
standard  and  it  should  not  be  required.  It  would  be  very 
well  for  us  to  have  tests  of  appliances  to  show  what  they  can 
do,  what  the  final  limit  of  efficiency  is  ;  but  I  see  no  reason 
why  the  design  of  that  appliance  should  be  standardized  as 
long  as  the  design  is  sufficiently  good  and  comes  somewhere 
near  the  maximum  theoretical  efficiency. 

I  think  Mr.  Doherty's  paper  is  the  beginning  of  a  grand, 
great  work  for  the  Gas  Associations  of  America,  and  I  feel  a 
sense  of  deep  personal  gratitude  to  him  for  bringing  it 
before  us. 

MR.  A.  E.  FORSTALI,  (New  York  City)  :  I  want  to  go  a  little 
more  fully  into  the  point  raised  by  Mr.  Miller  in  criticism  of 
the  scheme  of  education  advanced  in  the  paper.  The  chief 
trouble  with  our  present  engineering  education — at  any  rate 
undergraduate  engineering  education — is  that  it  specializes  too 
much.  Instead  of  starting  a  new  course  in  gas  engineering  as 


202 

an  undergraduate  course,  we  should  wipe  out  half  the  courses 
in  special  engineering  that  are  already  on  the  college  list. 
What  an  engineer  requires  as  a  starting  point  is  a  good  know- 
ledge of  natural  laws  and  how  far  these  laws  can  be  controlled 
by  man.  Besides  that  he  should  have  a  good  knowledge  of 
the  ^nglish  language,  if  he  is  an  Englishman  or  an  American, 
or  of  his  own  native  language,  if  he  is  of  another  nationality. 
He  also  should  have  a  certain  amount  of  business  training. 
When  he  has  gotten  these  he  is  ready  to  be  made  a  good  engineer 
but  he  cannot  be  made  a  good  engineer  by  any  special  course 
of  instruction  in  college  unless  he  is  willing  to  spend  eight  or 
ten  years  there.  He  must  get  his  general  underlying  educa- 
tion first,  and  get  that  as  the  result  of  his  undergraduate 
college  course,  and  then  he  can  specialize  afterward. 

I  think  it  is  safe  to  state  that  nine-tenths  of  the  most  promi- 
nent electrical  engineers  in  the  country  had  practically  no 
instruction  upon  electrical  subjects  at  college.  They  were 
simply  well  grounded  in  mechanical  engineering,  and  the 
electrical  companies  to  which  they  went  after  leaving  college 
taught  them  what  they  needed  to  know  about  electricity  a 
great  deal  better  than  they  could  have  been  instructed  in  col- 
lege. Give  me  a  man  who  is  well  grounded  in  the  points  I 
have  named,  and  possibly  has  taken  a  little  chemistry  in  addi- 
tion, and  in  four  or  five  years,  if  he  has  the  capacity,  I  will 
make  a  better  gas  engineer  of  him  than  he  can  be  made  in  any 
college  in  the  United  States. 

MR.  JAMES  W.  DUNBAR  (New  Albany,  Ind.)  :  I  was  asked 
to  take  part  in  the  discussion  of  this  paper,  but  from  the  action 
of  the  members  assembled  immediately  upon  the  conclusion  of 
the  reading  of  Mr.  Doherty's  address,  it  appears  to  me  that 
his  arguments  presented  were  so  conclusive  that  what  I  have 
prepared  would  seem  to  be  fighting  for  a  lost  cause  ;  still,  as 
you  have  called  upon  me,  I  will  read  what  I  have  prepared. 

As  I  have  not  received  an  advance  copy  of  Mr.  Doherty's 
paper  on  "  Gas  Association  Work,"  it  is  impossible  to  present 
an  intelligent  discussion  and  to  attain  by  deliberation  a  cor- 
rect conception  of  the  conditions  confronting  Gas  Associations 
and  their  solution  which  would  permit  of  unanimity  of  opinion 


203 

as  to  what  constitutes  concurrent  work.  Therefore,  the  best  I 
can  offer  is  a  presentation  of  the  subject  of  Association  work 
in  general.  A  thorough  knowledge  of  the  thoughts  presented 
by  Mr.  Doherty  with  a  discussion,  by  analysis,  of  the  summary 
of  Association  work  presented,  would  have  been  desirable  and 
instructive,  permitting  of  a  clearer  conception  of  beneficial 
work  required  and  the  possibilities  to  be  obtained. 

There  seems  to  be  a  growing  sentiment  that  we  have  too 
many  associations,  composed,  as  many  of  them  are,  of  persons 
who  are  members  of  from  one  to  five  organizations,  with  the 
result -of  dissipation  of  energy  and  the  prevention  of  success 
to  be  obtained  only  by  concentration  of  thought  and  by  efforts- 
to  attain  an  unerring  solution  of  problems  affecting  our  indus- 
try, particularly  in  so  far  as  it  is  represented  in  the  manufac- 
ture and  distribution  of  our  product. 

I  am  led  to  believe  that  Mr.  Doherty  is  of  the  opinion  that 
there  is  too  much  haphazard  ness  in  Association  work,  with  no- 
definite  idea  or  aim  in  that  direction  of  affairs  and  work  possi- 
ble to  so  large  an  aggregation  of  intelligence  possessed  by  the 
members  of  the  various  associations.  I  believe  that  Mr. 
Doherty,  to  a  large  extent,  has  stamped  his  personality  upon 
the  excellent  and  efficient  work  now  being  accomplished  in 
the  Ohio  Association  by  securing  the  active  co-operation  of  its 
members  in  collecting  invaluable  data  and  recording  the  same 
for  reference.  From  a  ' '  guess  standpoint ' '  of  the  contents 
of  the  paper,  I  agree  with  him  that  the  various  associations 
are  not  accomplishing  in  work  that  which  should  be  expected. 
There  is  too  much  of  individual  irresponsibility  among  mem- 
bers, with  a  lack  of  a  realization  of  duty  due  from  each  to  the 
Association  to  which  he  belongs. 

An  Association  is  just  what  its  individual  members  make  it  ; 
no  better,  no  worse  ;  but  as  an  army  could  not  have  crossed 
the  Alps  without  the  inspiring  genius  of  a  military  captain 
like  Napoleon,  and  as  success  would  not  have  been  obtained 
by  the  Federals  on  Shiloh  battlefield  except  for  the  confi- 
dence, self-reliance  and  bulldog  tenacity  of  General  Grant 
never  to  surrender,  so  in  Association  work,  while  its  success 
depends  upon  individual  effort,  the  responsibility  rests  largely 


204 

with  the  officers  and  directors  to  discharge  the  duties  imposed 
and  accepted. 

There  is  no  Association  that  could  not  enlarge  its  field  of 
action  and  usefulness  if  its  officers  would  perform  their  duty. 
That  duty  consists  in  faithfulness  to  a  trust,  in  the  mapping 
out  of  work,  in  assigning  a  part  to  those  not  association  drones, 
in  encouraging  and  developing  the  latent  energies  of  its  mem- 
bers and  corralling  them  to  the  point  where  every  man  should 
recognize  that  he  owes  his  Association  the  benefit  of  his 
experience  and  research.  No  one  officer,  except  he  be  a  Her- 
cules, and  devoting  his  time  solely  to  Association  work,  can 
inspire  its  members  and  infuse  them  with  strenuous  energy. 
Each  director  or  member  of  Council  should  realize  the  respon- 
sibilities of  his  office  and  endeavor  to  discharge  his  duty  ; 
which  duty  is  to  suggest  work  and  assist  in  its  prosecution, 
and,  unless  he  is  willing  to  do  this  duty,  he  owes  it  to  himself 
and  the  Association  which  has  honored  him,  not  to  accept 
such  a  position  of  trust  ;  he  has  no  right  to  the  honor  attached 
unless  by  his  effort  he  makes  the  office  a  distinctive  award  of 
merit. 

There  are  not  too  many  Associations  if  a  campaign  of  work 
is  inaugurated  that  will  bring  into  active  service  the  bright 
minds  and  the  plodders  who  compose  the  membership  ;  and 
this  is  the  duty  of  the  officers — not  one  or  two,  but  all  of 
them. 

It  must  not  be  inferred  that  the  Associations  have  not  done 
good  work.  A  review  of  the  New  England,  American,  West- 
-ern,  Pacific,  Ohio  and  other  Association  Proceedings  which  are 
published  will  disclose  a  presentation  of  information,  invalua- 
ble, both  technical  and  practical.  It  will  also  be  apparent 
that  but  little  is  duplicated,  although  there  is  lacking  much  of 
definite  certainty  in  conclusions  attempted. 

I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  Gas  Associations  of  the  United 
States  each  occupy  a  field,  and  my  idea  of  distribution  would 
be  one  National,  several  Interstate,  and  numerous  local  organ- 
izations. Practically,  just  such  an  arrangement  as  now  exists. 
There  should  be  more  local  State  organizations,  or  in  some 
instances  comprised  of  two  or  three  States,  when  local  condi- 
tions are  similar.  Many  Gas  Company  superintendents  have 


205 

duties,  detail  in  their  nature,  the  solution  of  which  is  not  to 
be  found  in  large  Associations  where  one  loses  his  personality 
and  has  a  timidity  or  modesty  in  the  presentation  or  the  seek- 
ing of  information  on  topics  which  he  thinks  would  make 
him  appear  small  in  the  presence  of  associates.  Hence,  a 
large  number  of  smaller  Associations  would  find  a  profitable 
field  for  work  by  bringing  into  closer  touch  persons  who  would 
have  mutual  interests,  because  similar  conditions  and  problems 
confront  them.  There  is  a  greater  defect  of  management  in 
smaller  than  in  larger  gas  companies,  due  to  the  environments 
and  conditions  that  surround  a  superintendent.  His  company 
does  not  feel  able  to  pay  his  expenses  to  large  Association, 
meetings,  and  be  he  ever  so  capable  he  is  not  permitted  to 
acquire  by  heart-to-heart  talks  with  associates  that  knowledge 
and  insight  which,  if  acquired,  would  permit  of  intelligent, 
progressive  and  economical  management  of  his  small  gas  plant. 
To  fill  this  want,  more  local  organizations  are  needed.  At  the 
same  time,  it  should  be  the  aim  of  the  larger  Associations, 
especially  the  Interstate,  to  extend  its  work  so  as  to  include 
problems  of  detail.  The  educational  work  of  the  American, 
the  Question  Department  of  the  Ohio,  and  the  Wrinkle 
Department  of  the  Western  are  all  along  the  right  line. 

As  stated  before,  a  perusal  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  various 
Associations  shows  each  has  a  distinctive  field,  educational  and 
practical.  One  may  consider  himself  lacking  in  ability  and 
energy  if  he  is  not  inspired  to  ambitious  efforts  by  their 
perusal. 

I  may  be  pardoned  for  briefly  stating  the  work  being  accom- 
plished by  the  Western  Association.  First  of  all,  it  has  been 
distinctly  a  paper  Association.  During  the  last  ten  years 
eighty  subjects  have  been  presented  at  its  annual  meetings. 
As  to  quality,  they  are  second,  I  think,  to  no  other  Associa- 
tion, although  other  Associations  have  excelled  in  different 
departures.  Of  the  eighty  papers  presented,  fifty-Six  have 
been  on  different  subjects,  all  important  and  representative  of 
our  industry.  The  authors  who  prepared  the  same  were 
mostly  men  recognized  for  their  technical,  practical  and  man- 
agerial abilities,  who  gave  the  Association  from  their  fund  of 
knowledge  a  full  measure  of  their  experiences. 


200 

The  Western  was  the  first  Association  to  make  the  Wrinkle 
Department  a  feature  of  Association  work  (Progressive  Age 
having  previously  invited  contributions  to  its  columns) ,  the 
value  of  which  was  so  apparent  that  most  Associations  now 
recognize  this  department  as  being  all  important  and  have 
their  own  wrinkle  editors.  During  the  past  year,  the  Western 
Gas  Association,  through  its  editor,  William  E.  Stein wedell, 
completed,  published  and  furnished  free  to  its  members  a 
volume  of  350  pages  containing  the  wrinkles  presented  at  all 
Association  meetings  for  the  years  1890  to  1900,  inclusive,  and 
•expects  to  publish  an  additional  volume  containing  all  down  to 
{late. 

A  few  years  ago  it  was  determined  to  publish  in  book  form 
all  of  its  Proceedings.  During  the  last  few  months  the  fourth 
volume  for  the  years  1898^:0  1902,  inclusive,  edited  under  the 
supervision  of  Mr.  Thwing,  its  present  vice-president,  was 
published  and  furnished  to  each  member. 

The  gas  exhibit  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  is  the 
result  of  the  Western  Association's  enterprise,  the  credit  of 
which  is  due  to  its  president,  Mr.  Shelton.  The  card  index 
•of.  Gas  Literature,  the  first  bunch  of  which  was  issued  since 
its  last  meeting,  is  an  almost  invaluable  aid  to  gas  engineers 
for  matters  of  reference.  Subscriptions  amounting  to  five  or 
six  thousand  dollars  were  subscribed  through  the  efforts  of 
the  secretary,  the  work  of  issue  being  under  the  direction  of 
Mr.  Shelton.  This  Gas  Congress  of  all  American  Associa- 
tions is  the  result  of  a  movement  inaugurated  by  the  President 
of  the  Western  Association. 

Reference  was  made  above  laudatory  of  papers  read  at  the 
different  meetings  of  the  Western  ;  while  all  writers  at  the 
meetings  belong  to  the  American,  Ohio  and  Western  Associa- 
tions, yet  individually  the  majority  of  these  paper  writers 
have  thrown  their  best  efforts  in  the  line  of  Association  work, 
and  are  best  known,  as  members  of  the  Western.  Its  meeting 
this  year  has  been  practically  abandoned  in  the  interest  of  this 
Gas  Congress,  evincing  a  spirit  of  largeness  in  the  development 
of  the  whole  fraternity  in  making  its  own  meeting  of  second- 
ary importance. 

With  the  present  Gas  Associations  of  America,  there  might 


207 

be  a  conference  committee  appointed  for  the  directing  of  work 
along  different  lines,  when  deemed  expedient,  so  as  to  have 
each  Association  employed  in  some  field  for  research ;  funda* 
mental  truth  and  facts  are  wanted,  and  each  Association  as  a 
result  of  conference  might  so  specialize  work  under  directions 
from  a  committee  as  suggested.  But,  above  all,  each  Asso- 
ciation will  be  progressive  and  useful  just  to  the  extent  that 
its  officers  realize  their  full  responsibility  and  to  the  extent 
that  they  succeed  in  inducing  its  members  to  work  for  the 
Association's  advancement  along  lines  of  progress,  appreciating 
the  fact  through  work  their  own  capacity  for  usef ulness  will  be 
enhanced,  and  they  will  thereby  reap  the  result  of  their  labor. 
Duty  in  small  things  characterizes  the  man.  Duty  performed 
brings  peace  and  happiness,  and  in  the  discharge  of  our 
individual  duty  to  the  Association  to  which  we  belong  let  us 
bear  in  mind  this  verse  from  the  "Village  Blacksmith,"  ap- 
plicable to  each  of  us  in  our  several  stations  in  life  : 

"Toiling,  rejoicing,  sorrowing,  ;, 

Onward  through  life  he  goes  ; 
Each  morning  finds  some  task  begun, 

Each  evening  sees  it  close. 
Something  attempted,  something  done, 

Has  earned  a  night's  repose." 

MR.  A.  K.  STILES  (Streator,  111.):  I  am  here  as  a  listener. 
I  am  a  member  of  the  Western  Gas  Association  and  am  very 
much  pleased  with  the  paper  which  Mr.  Dunbar  has  just  read 
and  with  the  paper  of  Mr.  Doherty.  My  experience  in  the 
lighting  business  began  in  the  early  days,  before  the  forma- 
tion of  the  National  Electric  Light  Association.  I  paid  the 
expenses  and  my  clerk  sent  out  all  the  notices  for  gathering 
the  electricians  from  all  over  the  country  to  form  the  National 
Electric  Light  Association,  some  twenty  years  ago.  In  that 
case  the  National  Association  was  formed  before  the  local 
associations. 

In  this  case  the  local  associations  were  formed  first.  I  have 
had  something  to  do  with  this  Association  work  in  a  great 
many  fields  ;  have  been  president  of  a  number  of  companies 
engaged  in  different  kinds  of  business — one  of  them  was  the 


208 

wire  business  in  the  early  days.  I  gathered  together  all  the 
men  who  made  wire  in  the  United  States.  I  was  president  of 
that  Association  for  seven  years,  known  as  the 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt):  I  will  have  to  remind  the 
gentleman  that  the  time  is  very  short  and  that  he  must  con- 
fine himself  to  the  subject  under  discussion. 

MR.  STILES  :  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  best  way  is  to 
have  a  National  body  and  then  have  a  State  Association  for 
each  State,  as  this  plan  has  proved  very  successful  in  the 
electric  lighting  and  other  business.  We  have  local  laws  in 
each  State  applying  to  this  business  and  the  plan  of  a  National 
Association  and  also  State  Associations  has  worked  out  all 
right.  I  think  if  it  can  be  done,  it  is  best  to  have  only  one 
National  Gas  Association,  and  then  a  Gas  Association  for 
each  State,  or  two  or  three  States,  that  would  be  for  the  best 
interests  of  all  the  gas  men  in  the  country.  These  State 
Associations  would  be  accessories  and  helpers  to  the  National 
Association  which  we  have  voted  to  form.  Besides  being  a 
helper  to  the  National  Association,  the  State  Associations 
could  look  after  the  local  interests  of  their  members  and  also 
the  local  laws.  I  heartily  agree  with  the  plan  of  Mr. 
Doherty  for  the  formation  of  one  representative  National  Gas 
Association. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt):  The  time  allotted  for  the 
discussion  of  this  paper  is  very  short,  and  we  must  be  as  brief 
as  possible.  It  will  be  necessary  to  limit  the  balance  of  the 
discussion  to  three  minutes  for  each  speaker. 

MR.  PAUL  DOTY  (St.  Paul,  Minn.):  I  want  to  say  that 
to-day  is  a  psychological  moment — a-  child  is  not  born  to-day, 
but  a  child  is  conceived  to-day,  and  undoubtedly  the  paternity 
of  that  child  will  be  laid  at  Mr.  Doherty 's  door.  I  want  to 
make  a  plea  for  the  biggest  family  possible.  The  scope  of 
the  gas  business,  as  Mr.  Doherty  gives  it,  is  manufacturing, 
transporting,  collecting,  investing,  mercantile  and  develop- 
ment. Mr.  Doherty  suggests  that  the  new  Association  which 
will  be  formed  be  called  the  American  Institute  of  Gas  Engi- 
neers and  Managers.  I  think  the  name  is  weak.  In  the  first 


209 

place  it  needs  to  be  collective  in  order  to  explain  the  idea  he 
presents.  I  think  if  we  use  the  term  Gas  Engineers  and 
Managers  that  we  would  create  a  class  distinction.  We  must 
avoid  in  the  new  grand  National  Association  any  class  dis- 
tinctions. If  the  business  be  a  collection  business  it  will  in- 
clude auditors  or  commercial  men,  the  secretaries  and  treas- 
urers ;  if  it  be  an  investment  business  it  will  require  bankers  ; 
if  it  be  a  mercantile  business  it  will  require  salesmen;  if  it  be 
a  development  business  it,  will  require  new  business  managers. 
Therefore,  I  recommend  to  the  committee  that  will  aid  in  the 
birth  of  this  child,  that  the  name  of  the  child  be  "The 
American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Gas,"  and  not 
limit  ourselves  to  a  name  that  would  indicate  a  class  of  gas 
engineers. 

MR.  STILES  :  As  I  understand  it,  that  will  all  be  left  to  the 
committee.  If  I  was  going  to  suggest  a  name  I  would  sug- 
gest the  American  Gas  Association. 

MR.  J.  M.  BERKLEY  (Bloomington,  111.):  Is  it  the  inten- 
tion to  amalgamate  all  the  gas  Associations  into  one  Associa- 
tion and  do  away  with  the  present  local  Associations  through- 
out the  United  States  ? 

MR.  A.  E.  BOARDMAN  (New  York  City):  A  committee  has 
been  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  considering  that  and  taking 
such  action  as  they  may  deem  advisable. 

MR.  BERKLEY  :  I  want  to  beg  leave  to  say  to  the  committee 
if  this  is  done  that  you  will  destroy  the  grandest  and  noblest 
general  method  of  education  we  have,  aside  from  the  Trus- 
tees' Educational  Fund,  if  you  wipe  out  the  existence  of  the 
local  organizations,  for  where  will  the  small  men  be  in  the 
larger  association  generalized  under  one  head  ?  Take  a  word 
of  warning  from  Mr.  Dunbar  on  the  Ohio  River,  who  cor- 
rectly interprets  the  sentiment  of  the  young  men  in  all  of  the 
Associations. 

MR.  HENRY  L.  DOHERTY  (New  York  City):  I  call  the  gen- 
tleman's attention  to  the  point  that  if  he  had  been  here  when 
I  read  the  paper  he  would  have  learned  that  local,  sections  are 
provided  for. 

As  a  matter  of  personal  privilege  I  want  to  say  that  Mr. 
Shelton  anticipated  this  subject  by  taking  it  up  in  the  West- 


210 

ern  meeting  yesterday.  There  are  certain  things  I  would 
have  liked  to  have  replied  to  which  Mr.  Shelton  advanced, 
but  considered  it  was  not  wise  to  reply  to  them  in  the  Western 
meeting  as  it  would  anticipate  discussion  here,  and  this  is  the 
place  to  discuss  this  subject. 

MR.  F.  H.  SHELTON  (Philadelphia,  Pa.)  :  I  want  to  lay  at 
the  footstool  upon  which  Mr.  Doherty  is  about  to  be  confined, 
the  tribute  of  my  personal  admiration  for  the  magnificent 
way  in  which  he  has  handled  the  subject.  I  was  a  little  fear- 
ful that  my  remarks  in  the  Presidential  address  before  the 
Western  Association,  using  the  Ohio  Association  as  an  illus- 
tration, might  be  misconstrued  into  a  somewhat  unnecessary 
criticism  upon  the  Ohio  Association.  Mr.  Doherty  is  broad 
enough  to  know — and  I  think  most  of  you  realize — that  the 
remarks  were  made  to  illustrate  the  fact  that  splendid  and 
magnificent  energy  was  being  exercised  in  the  Ohio  Associa- 
tion for  the  benefit  of  200  or  300  men  only,  and  not  for  the 
benefit  of  2,000  men,  who  ought  to  have  the  advantages  which 
result  from  such  energetic  and  splendid  work ;  and  I  was 
particularly  glad  to  see  Mr.  Doherty  put  on  the  committee  to 
act  on  the  President's  address,  because  I  knew  he  would  reply 
and  take  it  up  in  the  broad  spirit  in  which  he  has.  My  remarks 
on  this  subject  the  day  before  yesterday  were  condensed. 
I  have  not  had  the  time  to  elaborate  a  scheme  for  a  union 
of  all  associations.  Mr.  Doherty  has  not  had  the  time,  either, 
but  nevertheless  has  done  it  !  How  he  has  done  all  this  hard 
work  is  beyond  me,  and  I  know  something  of  what  hard  work 
is.  I  admire  him  for  the  work  he  has  done,  being  requested 
at  the  last  minute  and  with  short  notice,  to  prepare  a  paper 
on  Gas  Associations,  and  in  being  able  to  prepare  a  paper  33 
pages  in  length,  and  he  does  not  say  the  same  thing  twice,  to 
any  extent,  throughout  the  paper.  We  may  differ  in  details. 
We  may  differ  on  the  value  of  college  education  ;  we  may 
differ  as  -to  some  things  contained  in  Mr.  Doherty 's  paper. 
But  I  think  we  all  agree  in  the  general  and  lasting  value  of 
the  ideas  which  Mr.  Doherty  has  given  us.  Mr.  Miller  says 
that  we  were  painted  a  little  too  black.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
we  were  painted  a  bit  black  purposely  to  stir  us  up,  so  that  we 
could  get  at  the  facts.  It  is  a  good  way  to  bring  out  the  best 


211 

results.  Mr.  Doherty  has  studied  the  question  and  considered 
it  for  several  years,  and  whatever  the  details  may  be  of  any 
ultimate  plan  of  union,  I  feel  confident  that  the  essentials,  the 
backbone  and  dominating  features,  will  be  found  to  be  largely 
those  embraced  in  the  suggestive  paper  which  Mr.  Doherty 
has  offered. 

Nothing  of  value  is  made  in  a  day.  It  takes  time  to  work 
these  things  out,  and  I  think  we  can  leave  this  hall  with  the 
feeling  that  the  biggest  work  and  the  greatest  thing  accom- 
plished by  this  Congress  of  Gas  Associations  is  the  beginning 
of  a  plan  which  will  ultimately  ripen  into  an  organization, 
bringing  together  in  one  body  all  the  gas  men  in  the  country. 
We  will  do  it,  gentlemen.  The  time  is  much  nearer  when  it 
will  be  done,  than  I  had  dared  to  believe  a  few  weeks  ago.  I 
was  delighted  to  see  the  resolutions  offered  by  Mr.  McDonald 
adopted  unanimously,  and  without  the  slightest  evidence  of  any 
disapproval  of  the  scheme.  We  can  leave  here  feeling  that  the 
committee  which  will  be  appointed  by  the  various  Presidents 
will  be  composed  of  men  of  the  best  judgment,  ability,  knowl- 
edge, enthusiasm  and  interest  in  Gas  Association  work,  and 
that  they  will  safely  take  care  of  the  trust  which  will  be 
reposed  in  them.  I  feel,  in  view  of  such  results,  that  Mr. 
Doherty's  paper  is  a  stepping-stone  to  a  greater  union,  to  a 
greater  field,  for  all  gas  men  in  the  future.  That  being  the 
case,  I  feel  that  Mr.  Doherty  will  look  back  on  this  occasion 
with  far  greater  gratification  and  far  more  pleasure  than  he 
will  derive  from  any  ' '  vote  of  thanks  ' '  which  may  be  passed 
to  him.  It  will  be  good  work  well  done,  in  which  his  paper 
will  be  the  chief  corner-stone,  and  I  think  the  future  will  bear 
me  out  in  these  remarks. 

Gentlemen,  I  wish,  as  a  close  to  this  discussion,  as  time  is 
speeding  on,  to  move  a  vote  of  thanks— carrying  the  vein  of 
thought  I  have  tried  to.  express — to  Mr.  Doherty  for  his 
sincere  effort  to  improve  and  unify  the  condition  of  the  Gas 
Associations  of  this  country. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt)  :  Gentlemen,  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  this  discussion  must  be  cut  off  so  quickly,  but 
we  can  hardly  pursue  it  longer. 


212 

Mr.  Shelton's  motion  was  carried. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt)  :  Mr.  Doherty,  you  have  the 
thanks  of  the  Association  as  expressed  in  the  motion  just 
passed . 

MR.  DOHERTY  :  Gentlemen,  I  thank  you. 

I  desire  to  state  that  the  summary  of  these  statistics  will  be 
published  with  the  paper,  and  then  you  can  get  some  idea  of 
the  distribution  of  Association  membership,  and  the  total 
membership  at  present  compared  with  the  possible  member- 
ship. There  are  perhaps  1,700  members  in  the  various  Gas 
Associations,  and  there  ought  to  be  7,000.  There  are  about 
1,400  natural  and  artificial  gas  companies  in  this  country,  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  an  average  of  five  officers  and  employees  as 
members  of  the  new  Association  would  not  be  too  much  to 
expect. 

As  to  the  resolutions  that  were  passed  upon  the  motion  of 
Mr.  McDonald,  we  must  remember  that  Associations  are 
formed  for  results.  What  we  want  are  the  best  results  obtain- 
able in  our  associated  work,  whether  there  are  ten  Associations 
or  one  Association,  and  while  I  think  we  do  not  all  believe 
that  the  best  results  can  be  obtained  from  one  Association,  at 
the  same  time  we  have  got  to  do  something  better  than  we  are 
doing  now.  Many  of  us  believe,  however,  that  one  Associa- 
tion will  realize  greater  benefits  in  our  work  than  if  our  efforts 
are  scattered  among  several  Associations. 

Mr.  Alten  S.  Miller  makes  several  points,  and  I  do  not 
know  that  I  agree  with  him.  He  simply  pleads  not  guilty  to 
the  charges  I  make.  The  inference  is  that  the  gas  engineer 
of  to  day  is  perfect.  If  he  is,  we  had  better  abandon  our 
Association,  as  there  is  nothing  much  for  us  to  do.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  believe  every  word  I  have  said  in  this  paper.  I 
believe  the  gas  engineer  is  backward.  It  may  not  be  in  the 
line  of  good  policy  for  me  to  say  that,  but  we  must  be  truth- 
ful with  ourselves.  In  no  case  did  I  ask  for  standardization 
of  a  particular  thing  ;  it  was  not  my  intention  to  do  so,  and  if 
I  did  so  it  was  a  mistranscription.  I  am  only  asking  for 
standard  methods  of  testing  and  standard  methods  of  measur- 
ing results — things  of  that  kind  which  are  recognized  in  all 


213 

engineering  societies,  such  as  the  American  Society  of 
Mechanical  Engineers,  of  which  I  believe  Mr.  Miller  is  a 
member. 

Mr.  Milkr  raised  a  point  about  a  special  steam  and  street 
railway  engineering  course.  There  are  special  railway 
engineering  courses,  but  all  of  our  railway  engineer- 
ing divides  itself  up  into  the  older  recognized  engineer- 
ing courses  and  does  it  very  naturally,  and  no  other  sort  of 
provision  would  be  possible.  There  are  also  special  courses  in 
street  railway  engineering..  Almost  every  college  which 
teaches  electrical  engineering  has  a  special  course  in  street 
railway  engineering,  and  some  particular  professor  who 
makes  a  specialty  of  the  street  railway  engineering  course. 

Mr.  Miller  makes  the  point  that  we  may  have  ten  or  twelve 
standard  ranges,  and  that  each  one  may  be  as  good  as  another, 
and  he  says  that  we  should  not  standardize  any  one  of  these 
ranges.  I  make  the  point  that  while  we  may  have  ten  or 
twelve  standard  ranges,  not  one  is  as  good  as  it  ought  to  be. 
By  inference  Mr.  Miller's  point  goes  to  the  extent  of  saying 
that  we  should  be  satisfied  with  what  we  have. 

Mr.  Forstall's  remarks  on  education,  I  am  afraid,  were 
made  believing  that  he  was  not  in  harmony  with  me,  when  in 
truth  he  merely  expressed  himself  better  than  I  did.  I  am 
not  the  student  of  English  that  Mr.  Forstall  described  and 
lays  great  stress  upon.  Perhaps  he  was  able  to  state  in  a 
more' direct  way  what  I  was  trying  to  cover.  My  idea  is  that 
our  progress  toward  education  should  be  a  tendency  toward  a 
course  producing  engineers  of  energetics  and  specialties  on 
these  lines.  I  believe  specializing  should  be  done  before  the 
student  leaves  college  and  goes  into  gas  works  where  his 
duties  become  largely  routine.  Forty  men  can  be  taught  better 
and  more  satisfactorily  in  college  than  one  man  can  be  taught 
in  a  gas  works.  A  gas  works  cannot  be  a  training  school  for 
students,  for  it  is  not  possible  to  provide  the  students  with  the 
necessary  literature  and  laboratories.  In  my  opinion  the  good 
engineer  must  primarily  be  a  physicist  and  a  mathematician— 
if  he  is  a  thorough  physicist  and  an  able  mathematician,  he  is 
virtually  an  engineer  if  he  has  the  engineering  instinct.  I 
think,  as  Mr.  Forstall  does,  that  we  specialize  too  much,  or 


214 

rather  I  would  put  it  this  way — that  in  our  college  courses  we 
do  not  distinguish  between  facts  and  truths,  between  laws  and 
miscellaneous  information,  and  it  is  important  that  any  educa- 
tional work  should  be  developed  on  these  lines. 

Mr.  Dunbar  tells  of  the  excellent  work  of  the  Western  Gas 
Association,  which  no  one  will  deny,  and  yet  in  spite  of  that, 
the  work  of  the  Western  Gas  Association  might  have  been 
better,  and  I  say  that  as  a  member  of  the  Western  Gas  Asso- 
ciation, and  understand  that  I  have  recently  been  elected  an 
officer  of  that  Association.  I  am  ready  to  contribute  to  the 
work  of  the  Western  or  any  other  Association  as  my  time  will 
permit. 

Mr.  Shelton  touched  on  Association  work  very  largely  in 
his  paper  of  the  day  before  yesterday,  and  I  think  in  justice 
to  this  discussion  some  reply  should  be  made  to  his  comments. 
First  I  want  to  thank  Mr.  Shelton  for  the  compliment  he  paid 
me  a  few  moments  ago,  and  I  thank  him  sincerely  for  it.  I 
also  wish  to  commend  Mr.  Shelton  for  the  fearless  way  in 
which  he  treated  the  subject,  and  particularly  his  reference  to 
the  Ohio  Gas  Light  Association,  but  in  his  argument  he  left 
certain  wrong  impressions  which  might  lead  his  hearers  astray. 
He  gave  the  impression,  at  first,  that  the  Ohio  Gas  Light 
Association  was  ambitious  to  be  the  third  in  place  in  the  race 
for  National  prominence.  The  Ohio  Gas  Light  Association 
does  not  take  that  position — they  have  a  greater  ambition.  I 
am  speaking  now  for  a  lot  of  young  men  who  have  frequently 
met  and  discussed  the  problems  of  the  gas  business.  Their 
progress  means  that  there  are  many  men  in  that  Association 
who  have  felt  that  for  the  last  five  years  the  American  Gas 
Association  work  has  not  been  what  it  should  be,  and  the}' 
started  out  to  do  more  through  the  instrumentality  of  the 
Ohio  Association  than  has  been  before  accomplished,  and  their 
idea  was  that  by  example  they  would  create  an  unusual  stand- 
ard of  Association  work,  and  make  the  Ohio  Association  of 
more  importance,  not  only  to  the  members  of  the  Ohio  Gas 
Light  Association,  but  to  the  members  of  the  entire  fraternity. 
As  Mr.  Shelton  knows,  the  members  in  attendance  at  the 
meetings  of  the  Ohio  Gas  Light  Association  during  the  past 
three  years  have  seldom  been  much  under  200  in  number.  It 


215 

is  also  a  fact  that  at  the  last  meeting  there  were  only  68 
railroad  certificates  presented,  because  it  was  the  first  time  that 
a  reduced  railroad  fare  had  been  granted  for  the  convention  ; 
but  the  impression  was  given  by  the  statement  that  there  were 
only  68  railroad  certificates  presented  by  the  delegates,  that 
there 'were  only  68  members  in  attendance.  The  truth  is  that 
for  the  past  three  years  there  have  been  over  200  members  in 
attendance  at  each  meeting.  Mr.  Shelton  also  gave  the 
impression  that  the  Ohio  Gas  Light  Association  was  working 
for  the  benefit  of  its  members  only.  Some  of  the  publications 
of  that  Association,  the  Question  Box  particularly,  have  been 
sent  to  every  American  Gas  Company,  whether  a  member  of 
the  Association  or  not,  and  the  expense  has  been  borne  by  the 
Ohio  Gas  Light  Association.  I  think  they  deserve  credit  for 
taking  down  the  bars  and  saying  that  if  they  can  do  any  good 
work  it  will  be  for  the  common  good  of  the  entire  gas 
fraternity. 

I  also  think  that  great  credit  is  due  to  the  Progressive  Age 
for  its  index  of  gas  literature.  I  think  they  deserve  some 
recognition,  so  that  they  will  be  encouraged  to  continue  this 
work. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt):  I  think  Mr.  Doherty  un- 
derstands that  he  has  the  thanks  of  the  Congress  for  the 
paper  which  he  has  presented,  and  that  the  discussion  on  this 
paper  is  closed. 

MR.  DOHERTY  :  I  appreciate  the  vote  of  thanks  which  has 
been  passed  by  the  Congress. 

MR.  WALDO  A.  LEARNED  (Newton,  Mass.):  Mr.  Chairman 
and  Gentlemen  :  I  am  requested  by  Mr.  W.  R.  Addicks  to 
present  the  following  to  this  Congress  : 

To  THE  GAS  CONGRESS  : 

As  a  delegate  to  the  Gas  Congress  and  as  an  active 
member  of  six  Gas  Associations,  to  wit,  The  American,  The 
Guild  of  Gas  Managers  of  New  England,  The  New  England, 
The  Ohio,  The  Western  and  The  Society  of  Gas  Lighting,  all 
represented  at  this  Congress,  I  desire  to  present  the  following 
resolution  for  your  consideration  and  approval  : 


216 

RESOLVED  that  evidence  accumulates  showing  the  absolute 
necessity  of  concerted  action  on  matters  of  importance  to  gas 
and  electric  associations  and  the  interests  they  represent,  and 
requiring  the  co-operation  of  the  gas  fraternity  and  allied 
interests  ; 

RESOLVED  that  the  time  has  arrived  when  a  new  movement 
should  be  inaugurated  ; 

RESOLVED  that  a  permanent  organization  of  the  Associa- 
tions represented  in  this  Congress  be,  and  hereby  is,  formed 
under  the  name  of  The  Gas  and  Electric  Lighting  and  Rail- 
way Associations  League,  and  to  have  as  its  members  the  re- 
spective Presidents  and  First  Vice-Presidents  and  Secretaries 
(all  ex-officio)  of  every  Association  represented  in  this  Con- 
gress, and  to  meet  at  least  once  in  each  year,  or  upon  call  of 
the  Secretary  or  Chairman  chosen  by  the  League  ; 

RESOLVED  that  said  members  formulate  Constitution  and 
By-Laws  for  the  government  of  said  League  ; 

RESOLVED  that  said  members  take  action  looking  to  the  in- 
dorsement of  this  act  by  the  Gas  Congress  at  the  next  suc- 
ceeding Annual  Meeting  of  the  several  Associations  repre- 
sented in  the  Gas  Congress. 

CHAIRMAN  PRATT  :  Gentlemen,  you  have  heard  the  reso- 
tion  presented. 

MR.  A.  E.  BOARDMAN  (New  York  City):  I  think  had  Mr. 
Addicks  been  present  he  would  not  have  presented  those 
resolutions,  feeling  that  the  work  he  wishes  to  have  done  has 
so  far  progressed  in  the  direction  he  would  like  that  he  would 
deem  it  superfluous  to  offer  the  resolutions.  Not  being  here, 
of  course  this  friend  presents  the  resolutions,  and  I  do  not 
think  it  would  be  a  discourtesy  to  print  them  without  further 
action,  because  there  are  some  matters  that  might  conflict 
with  the  resolutions  which  we  have  already  passed  ;  hence,  I 
would  move  you,  sir,  that  the  resolutions  be  printed  for 
information,  and  that  they  be  referred  to  the  committee  which 
has  already  been  provided  for. 

MR.  HENRY  L.  DOHERTY  (New  York  City):  Would  it  not 
be  well  to  find  out  what  Mr.  Addicks'  representative  here 
had  in  mind,  or  whether  he  knows  what  Mr.  Addicks'  idea 


217 

is  ?  I  am  inclined  to  think  Mr.  Addicks  had  in  mind  what 
many  men  operating  quasi-public  corporations  have  been  im- 
pressed with  during  the  last  four  years.  We  are  in  a  peculiar 
position  regarding  rates  and  taxes,  and  it  is  one  of  the  hard- 
est problems  for  us  to  solve.  On  account  of  the  peculiar  laws 
in  many  places  we  are  compelled  to  pay  more  than  our  just 
share  of  taxes  if  we  put  the  value  of  our  property  in  at  a  high 
point.  If  we  put  the  property  in  at  a  low  point  we  are  liable 
not  to  get  fair  and  remunerative  rates.  We  are  in  the  peculiar 
position  of  claiming  high  valuation  for  one  purpose  and  low 
valuation  for  another  purpose,  and  the  matter  should  be  taken 
up  by  the  quasi-public  corporations  of  this  country,  so  as  to 
bring  about  some  reform  in  the  methods  of  taxation. 

MR.  LEARNED  :  I  have  no  further  information  from  Mr. 
Addicks  in  regard  to  this  matter  other  than  is  contained  in 
the  resolution.  He  requested  me  to  present  it  to  the 
Congress. 

MR.  DOHERTY  :  Then  I  would  amend  Mr.  Boardman's 
motion,  so  as  to  give  the  committee  some  power  in  the  matter. 
Mr.  Boardman's  motion  provides  for  referring  the  resolutions 
to  the  committee,  but  gives  them  no  power  to  act. 

MR.  BOARDMAN  :  In  my  opinion  they  have  such  power  ; 
but  if  it  is  thought  necessary  to  add  that  to  the  motion  in  re- 
ferring the  resolutions  to  the  committee,  giving  them  power 
to  act  on  the  subject,  I  would  suggest  such  an  amendment — 
they  will  have  in  any  event  power  to  make  such  a  recommen- 
dation as  they  consider  desirable. 

Mr.  Boardman's  motion  was  carried. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt):  Is  the  committee  on  Mr. 
Norris'  address  ready  to  report  ? 

MR.  BOARDMAN  :  Mr.  Chairman  and  Gentlemen  :  The  com- 
mittee on  the  address  of  Mr.  Norris  respectfully  presents  the 
following  report  : 

To  the  CONGRESS  OF  AMERICAN  GAS  ASSOCIATIONS  : 

Gentlemen :  Your  committee,  to  which  was  referred  the 
opening  address  of  Mr.  Rollin  Norris,  heartily  recommends  to 
you  a  careful  reading  and  consideration  of  this  admirable 


218 

contribution   to   the    Proceedings  of  Gas   Associations    here 
represented. 

There  is  much  in  this  initiatory  address  that  deserves  more 
than  passing  mention,  and  while  it  contains  no  specific  recom- 
mendation requiring  definite  action  by  this  committee,  and 
while  your  committee  is  impressed  with  the  thought  that  al- 
though such  an  address  is  not  usually  a  subject  for  discussion, 
yet  because  several  members  have  expressed  a  desire  to  discuss 
some  of  the  questions  raised  and  features  considered,  your 
committee  recommends  that  this  address  be  published  in  ad- 
vance of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Congress,  and  that  a  copy  be 
mailed  to  each  delegate,  and  that  fifteen  days  be  allowed  in 
which  discussions  may  be  mailed  to  the  Secretary,  that  the 
address,  together  with  the  discussions  thereon,  be  made  a  part 
of  the  Proceedings  of  this  Congress. 

Respectfully, 

EDWARD  G.  PRATT, 
ARTHUR  K.  BOARDMAN, 

Committee. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt):  Gentlemen,  you  have  heard 
the  report  of  the  committee. 

MR.  GEO.  G.  RAMSDELL  :  I  move  that  the  report  of  the 
committee  be  adopted  as  read. 

^Motion  carried. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt):  The  next  business  before 
the  Congress  is  the  paper  on  "Station  Meters,"  by  Mr. 
Donald  McDonald,  of  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  McDonald  read  the  paper. 


*The  instructions  contained  in  the  report  were  followed  but  no  discussions  were  received. 


STATION    METERS. 

The  function  of  the  station  meter  in  a  gas  works  is  to  meas- 
ure the  gas  made  as  it  passes  from  the  works  to  the  holders, 
and  for  this  purpose  the  wet  form  of  meter  is  employed  almost 
exclusively. 

As  made  and  used  in  this  country,  the  station  meter  may  be 
described  generally  as  cylindrical  in  form,  with  a  cast-iron 
case  inclosing  a  revolving  measuring  drum  made  of  sheet 
metal  and  divided  by  partitions  into  compartments  ;  the  case  is 
filled  with  water  to  a  line  sufficiently  high  above  the  centre  to 
seal  the  partitions  of  the  drum.  At  this  determined  water- 
line  the  capacity  of  the  drum  for  one  complete  revolution 
is  ascertained  by  calculation  and  proved  by  experiment. 
This  amount  is  transferred  by  gearing  to  the  index,  which  is 
mounted  in  the  centre  of  the  front  head. 

An  attempt  will  be  made  in  this  paper  to  give  some  account 
of  the  invention  and  subsequent  development  of  this  indispen- 
sable part  of  the  gas  work's  apparatus. 

No  account  of  the  invention  of  the  wet  meter  in  any  of  its 
forms  could  be  written  without  quoting  from  that  standard 
text  book  of  the  gas  industry, "  King's  Treatise  on  Coal  Gas," 
and  acknowledgment  is  hereby  made,  without  further  refer- 
ence, of  the  use  in  this  paper  of  such  matter  pertaining  to  the 
subject  as  is  found  in  that  work.  So  far  as  the  historical  part 
of  the  subject  is  concerned,  the  writer's  only  object  is  to  place 
before  you  in  a  convenient  form  a  summary  of  the  history  of 
the  station  meter  with  some  mention  of  early  forms,  and  to 
emphasize,  if  only  in  a  modest  tone,  the  debt  that  this  genera- 
tion owes  to  that  small  band  of  English  gas  engineers  who 
founded  this  industry  of  making  and  selling  illuminating  gas. 


220 

CLEGG'S  METER. 

Samuel  Clegg  may  be  called  the  inventor  of  the  wet  meter, 
evolving  the  device  along  two  lines.  One,  an  attempt  to  pro- 
duce a  revolving  gas  holder,  and  the  other,  an  attempt  to 
measure  gas  correctly  to  the  consumer.  His  early  attempts  at 
measurement  were  made,  first  with  bladders,  and  afterward 
with  holders  rising  and  falling  alternately.  He  was  working 
at  the  same  time  on  a  plan  for  a  rotative  holder,  which  he 
believed  advisable  on  account  of  the  difficulties  experienced  in 


FIG.  i 

CLEGG'S  ROTARY  GAS  HOLDER. 
Reproduced  from  Kine's  Treati*. 

constructing  gas-holder  tanks.  The  date  of  the  invention  of 
this  machine  is  not  known,  but  it  was  quite  some  time  prior  to 
1817,  at  which  time  it  was  in  operation  at  the  Peter  Street 
gas  works,  London.  Figure  i  shows  a  section  of  this  holder 
which,  in  transverse  section,  was  rectangular  and  closed  at 
each  end. 


221 

NOTE. — /is  a  tank  filled  with  water  provided  with  a  wooden  frame,  ff,  carry- 
ing the  holder,  consisting  of  a  hollow  shaft  to  which  was  fastened  a  framing,  gg 
carrying  a  winding  drum,  ss,  and  an  annular  vessel,  v,  which  was  open  to  the 
atmosphere  at  a,  and  closed  at  c  ;  p  is  a  pipe  connecting  the  hollow  shaft  to  the 
annular  chamber;  h  is  a  chain  passing  around  and  attached  to  the  drum,  the 
other  end  passing  over  a  pulley  and  carrying  the  counterbalance  weight. 

The  gas  entered  through  the  hollo  v  shaft,  was  conveyed  by  the  pipe,/,  to 
the  annular  chamber,  forcing  the  holder  to  revolve  in  the  direction  shown  by 
the  arroA's.  When  the  point,  a,  became  immersed  the  gas  was  shut  off  by  clos- 
ing the  inlet  valve.  The  outlet  valve  was  then  opened  and  the  holder  would 
revolve  by  its  own  weight  in  the  opposite  direction  and  expel  the  gas. 

The  most  casual  study  will  show  the  relation  of  this  machine 
to  the  finally  evolved  station  meter  for  measuring  the  gas 
made  at  the  works,  and  also  to  the  consumers'  wet  meter  for 
measuring  gas  sold  to  the  consumer.  Clegg  undoubtedly  had 
the  principle  of  this  machine  in  mind  when  he  conceived  his 
first  gas  meter,  a  patent  for  which  he  took  out,  December  9, 
1815.  King  states  that  the  patent  covered  two  machines. 
He  describes,  however,  only  one,  said  to  be  the  smaller  and 
more  feasible. 


OUTLET 


FIG.  2. 

CLEGG'S  FIRST  METER. 
Reproduced  from  King's  Treatise. 


FIRST  MKTBR. 
This  is  shown  in  Figure  2,  and  consists  of  an  outer  case  with 
a  revolving  drum  divided  into  two  compartments,  a  and  d,  and 


222 


closed  on  all  sides.  The  axis,  c,  is  hollow,  rotating  upon  a 
pivot  at  one  end,  and  within  a  stuffing-box  at  the  other,  to 
which  is  connected  the  inlet  pipe. 

NOTE. — The  gas  passing  through  the  hollow  shaft  and  scroll  tube,  e,  entered 
the  chamber,  a,  causing  the  drum  to  rotate  in  the  direction  of  the  arrow.  The 
valve,  m  (shown  open,)  closed  when  the  drum  had  rotated  sufficiently  to  raise 
it  above  the  water.  When  the  rotation  of  the  drum  brought  the  partition  carry- 
ing the  valve,  n,  in  contact  with  the  water,  the  valve  opened  and  allowed  the 
water  to  pass  into  the  chamber,  /;,  expelling  the  gas  by  the  hole  y;  z  and  x  are 
buckets  carrying  sufficient  water  to  fill  the  scroll  tubes  once  during  each  rota- 
tion, which,  acting  as  valves,  maintain  the  seal. 

While  this  machine  was  far  too  delicate  for  practical  use, 
yet  it  undoubtedly  supplied  a  foundation  for  the  wet  meter 
perfected  in  all  its  various  forms  since:  In  it  we  have  the  cir- 
cular form  of  wheel  revolving  in  an  outer  case  and  divided  into 
compartments  which  alternately  receive  and  deliver  gas  and 
actuated  by  the  pressure  of  the  fluid  it  was  designed  to 
measure. 

MALAM'S  METER. 


OUTLET 


In  a  paper  read  before  the 
Society  of  Arts,  dated  March  10, 
1819,  John  Malam  described  a 
meter  embodying  additions  and 
improvements  to  the  Clegg  meter, 
drawings  of  which  he  had  sub- 
sequently submitted  to  the  Direc- 
tors of  the  Chartered  Company, 
INLET  London,  by  whom  he  was 
employed  as  a  draughtsman. 
Figure  3  is  a  transverse  section 
and  Figure  4  a  sectional  eleva- 
tion of  this  meter,  the  drum 
being  divided  into  five  compart- 
ments, one  in  the  centre  and  four 
placed  around  it. 


FIG.  3. 

MALAM'S  MF.TER. 
Reproduced  from  King's  Treatise. 


223 


FIG.  4. 

MALAM'S  METER. 
Reproduced  trom  Kind's  Treatise. 

NOTE.— The  gas  entering  at  the  inlet  passed  by  means  of  a  bent  pipe  into 
the  central  chamber,  ,,  and,  as  will  be  seen,  escaped  only  by  the  opening,  »,  to 
the  chamber,  b,  where  by  its  expansive  action  on  the  water  and  the  sides  of  the 
chamber,  it  caused  the  drum  to  rotate  to  the  left  until  the  opening  x  rises  above 
the  surface  of  the  water.  When  one-quarter  of  a  revolution  has  been  effected 
the  opening,  «,  is  dipped  into  the  water  and  the  opening,  o,  has  risen  above  i 
and  the  gas  enters  c  l>y  o,  thus  continuing  the  rotation. 

The  principal  fault  of  this  meter  was  the  great  amount  of 
pressure  absorbed  by  its  operation,  but  it  was  a  distinct  advance 
over  Clegg's  meter,  by  reason  of  the  introduction  of  the  bent 
pipe  or  dry-well  which,  rising  above  the  level  of  the  water  in 
the  central  chamber,  delivered  gas  continuously  throughout  the 
rotation  of  the  drum. 


224 


CROSLEY'S  METER, 


FIG.  5 

END  VIEW  OF  CROSLEY'S  DRUM. 
Reproduced  from  King's  Treatise. 


Samuel  Crosley  became  possessed  of  Clegg's  patent-right  and 
made  improvements  on  the  meter  of  both  Clegg  and  Malam  by 
dividing  the  interior  of  the  drum  into  compartments  by  parti- 
tions set  at  an  angle  favorable  to  their  passage  through  the 
water,  thus  bringing  the  inlet  and  outlet  openings  at  either  end 
of  the  drum,  and  this  practice,  with  Malam' s  dry-well  and 
hollow  cover,  which  was  also  Malam' s  invention,  gives  us  the 
wet  meter  as  we  know  it  to-day. 

Figures  5,  6  and  7  show  three  views  of  Crosley 's  drum. 
Figure  5  showing  the  outlet  end,  Figure  6  a  transverse  section 
of  the  drum  in  its  case,  and  Figure  7  a  cross  section. 


225 


FIG,  7— CROSLEY'S  DRUM  IN  CASE.    Showing  Slant  Partitions. 
Reproduced  from  King's  Treatise. 


NOTE.— The 
gas  entering  at 
the  dry-well,  v, 
passes  through 
the  drum  and 
out  at  the  Iront 
end,  then  over 
the  drum  be- 
tween it  and  the 
case  to  the  out- 
let, s,  causing 
[the  drum  to  re- 
volve to  the  left 
by  the  pressure 
on  the  surface  of 
the  water  below 
and  the  slanted 
partition  above, 
forming  an  ever- 
increasing  pyra- 
midal space  be- 
tween the  sur- 
face of  the  water 
and  the  plane  of 
the  slanted  par- 
tition. 


226 

Crosley's  drum,  or  wheel  as  it  is  often  called,  may  be  regarded 
as  a  four-threaded  screw,  each  thread  or  spiral  being  enlarged 
toward  the  middle  and  spreading  over  an  arc  of  nearly  half  the 
circle.  The  Malam  form  of  drum  was  also  a  four-threaded 
screw,  but  of  a  different  kind,  the  principal  difference  being 
that  the  spirals  may  be  said  to  be  cut  on  a  cylinder  of  metal, 
while  Crosley's  are  cut  on  a  cylinder  of  water. 

That  Crosley's  drum  continued  to  be  the  standard  for  so  many 
years  is  a  further  evidence  of  his  inventive  genius.  It  may 
be  said,  however,  that  the  demand  for  station  meters  was  very 
limited  and  but  few  people  were  at  all  familiar  with  the  subject. 
Besides  this,  the  introduction  of  the  dry  meter  and  its  general 
use  as  a  consumer's  meter  in  this  country  led  to  a  com- 
parative neglect  of  the  subject  of  wet  meters,  and  Crosley's 
drum  being  the  generally  accepted  type  for  consumers'  meters 
the  station  meter  drum  was  made  on  about  the  same  lines. 
With  the  constantly  increasing  use  of  gas,  however,  came  a 
demand  for  larger  station  meters  than  heretofore  made,  bring- 
ing problems  of  construction  for  solution  not  met  with  in  the 
smaller  sizes.  This  was  further  brought  about  by  the  intro- 
duction of  water  gas,  making  it  often  necessary  to  measure 
the  amount  of  daily  production  in  a  few  hours.  This  was 
especially  true  in  this  country,  and  the  meter  makers  were  led 
to  a  more  careful  study  of  the  subject,  and  Crosley's  drum  as 
adapted  to  station  meters  was  greatly  improved.  These  im- 
provements were  mainly  in  details  of  construction  and  modifi- 
cations of  form  in  an  endeavor  to  secure  a  drum  with  a 
maximum  capacity  per  turn  and  a  minimum  amount  of  fric- 
tion occasioned,  by  its  action  and  having  a  greater  durability 
than  heretofore. 

While  Crosley's  plan  of  having  four  compartments  in  the 
drum  continued  to  be  the  practice,  one  improvement  in 
particular  was  made  by  enlarging  the  centre  opening,  or  the 
distance  from  the  inner  edge  of  one  slant  partition  to  the 
other.  This  gave  a  freer  passage  for  the  water  and  increased 
the  pitch  of  the  slant  partition,  producing  less  friction  by  the 
rotation  of  the  drum.  It  was  found,  however,  that  there  was  a 
limit  in  this  direction  on  account  of  the  loss  of  capacity  caused 
by  raising  the  water-line,  offsetting  the  gain  in  loss  of  friction. 


227 

Cast-iron  drum  centres  were  also  introduced  and  a  system  of 
bracing,  constituting  a  drum  frame  and  making  the  drum 
much  stronger. 

PARKINSON'S  DRUM. 

In  May,  1882,  William  C.  Parkinson  patented  in  England  a 
wet  meter  drum  having  three  partitions,  and  a  patent  was 
issued  to  him  in  this  country,  May,  1884.  This  drum  proved 
to  be  much  more  sensitive  than  the  four-partition  type,  rotat- 
ing at  a  higher  periphery  speed  at  a  given  loss  of  pressure,  it 
being  evident  that,  as  the  slant  partitions  in  Crosley's  drum 
give  nearly  the  total  resistance  to  its  free  rotation,  the  elimin- 


•Hi 


FIG.  8.— END  VIEW  OF  THREE  PARTITION  OR  PARKINSON  DRUM. 
ation  of  one  of  the  four  partitions  gives  a  resultant  ease  of 
action.  This  would  apparently  give  it  an  advantage  over  the 
four-partition  type  of  25  per  cent,  in  capacity,  due  to  an  in- 
creased number  of  revolutions  at  a  given  loss.  This  is 
reduced,  however,  by  the  necessity  of  a  somewhat  higher 
water-line,  and  by  the  drum  not  having  as  great  a  measuring 
length,  giving  about  5  per  cent,  less  capacity  per  revolution 
and  thus  making  a  gain  of  about  20  per  cent,  in  hourly 


228 

capacity  at  constant  loss.  Theoretically,  its  action  ought  not 
to  be  as  steady  as  a  drum  with  four  compartments,  as  the 
latter  at  all  times  presents  an  additional  opening  for  receiving 
and  discharging  gas,  ai:d  this  is  a  fact,  but  this  unsteadiness 
is  not  so  marked  as  to  be  harmful  in  a  station  meter, and  on 
account  of  its  greater  ease  of  rotation  it  is  preferable  to 
Crosley's  four-partition  drum. 

Figure  8  illustrates  an  end  view  of  a  modern,  three-partition 
drum  which  shows  its  essential  difference  from  the  four-parti- 
tion, and  shows  the  method  of  using  cast-iron  centres  fastened 
to  the  shaft  with  angle-iron  bracing. 

The  manufacture  of  this  drum  was  begun  in  this  country 
soon  after  the  issue  of  the  patent  by  a  well-known  house,  who 
built  station-meter  drums  of  this  type  exclusively  until  the 
expiration  of  the  patents,  when  the  other  meter  houses  adopted 
it,  and  it  still  has  a  large  sale,  although  some  makers  continue 
to  build  the  older  form  with  four  partitions. 

HINMAN'S  DRUM. 

In  December,  1896,  patents  were  issued  to  Mr.  Charles  W. 
Hinman,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  for  a  wet  meter  covering  original 
ideas  and  improvements  and  constituting  what  has  proved  to 
be  the  greatest  advance  in  the  correct  and  economical  meas- 
urement of  gas  by  station  meters  since  the  introduction  of  the 
three-partition  drum. 

The  case  of  the  meter  is  of  the  usual  form,  but  the  effective 
length  inside  is  increased  by  discarding  the  registry  sinkage 
and  shortening  the  dry- well  box.  The  drum  is  the  same  in 
principle  as  Crosley's  and  has  four  partitions,  differing  from 
it  by  more  completely  utilizing  the  space  in  the  meter  case, 
thus  passing  more  gas  per  revolution,  and  in  offering  less 
resistance  to  the  water  when  rotated,  thus  allowing  a  greater 
speed  of  rotation  at  constant  loss  of  pressure. 

The  space  in  the  case  is  more  completely  utilized  by  making 
the  drum  larger  and  placing  four  wings  at  each  end  in  a  plane 
perpendicular  to  the  shaft,  by  using  a  comparatively  flat  hood 
or  hollow  cover,  a  flattened  dry-well,  and  by  forming  pockets 
open  to  the  interior  of  the  drum  in  the  space  under  the  hood, 


229 


FIG.  9.— OUTLET  VIEW  OF  HINMAN'S  DRUM.    From  a  photograph. 


PIG.  10.— INLET  (or  Hood)  END  VIEW  OF  HI^MANS'  DRUM. 
Showing  method  of  forming  pockets.    From  a  photograph. 


230 

by  means  of  which  the  space  formerly  devoted  to  the  hood, 
and  which  did  not-  measure,  is  largely  reduced  and  the  space 
so  gained  is  devoted  to  measuring  purposes.  Besides  being 
lengthened  at  both  ends,  use  is  made  in  this  drum  of  eight 
triangular,  pyramidal  spaces,  four  at  each  end  of  any  drum  of 
Crosley's  type,  each  space  having  for  two  of  its  sides  the  sur- 
face of  the  water,  and  for  another  side  one  of  the  divisions  of 
the  drum. 

The  less  resistance  of  the  Hinman  drum  to  rotation  in  the 
water,  so  far  as  it  is  affected  by  its  shape,  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  average  angle,  which  the  divisions  of  any  drum  with  a 
flat  slant  partition  makes  with  the  water  as  the  drum  rotates, 
is  much  larger  than  the  average  angle  made  by  the  divisions 
of  the  Hinman  drum.  The  peculiar  shape  of  the  drum, 
allowing  also  an  increase  in  the  size  of  the  waterways  with- 
out a  consequent  reduction  in  capacity,  gives  an  added  ease 
to  rotation. 


FIG.  11.— INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  HINMAN'S  DRUM. 
Showing  method  of  forming  partitions.    From  a  photograph. 


231 

In  any  wet  meter  drum  the  force  which  makes  it  rotate  is 
proportional  :  To  the  difference  of  pressure  of  the  gas  on  two 
sides  of  a  division,  to  the  projected  area  of  that  portion  of  the 
division  above  the  water,  and  to  the  average  distance  of  the 
surface  on  which  the  pressure  is  exerted  from  the  axis  of 
rotation.  The  Hinman  drum  as  compared  with  other  types 
has  a  larger  projected  area,  and,  what  is  of  particular  import- 
ance, this  area  is  at  a  greater  average  distance  from  the  axis. 
It  is  impossible  to  give  the  exact  theoretic  value  of  each  of 
these  changes,  but  the  figures  given  further  on  in  this  paper 
will  show  the  practical  advantages  gained  by  the  use  of  this 
drum.  In  a  general  way  it  may  be  said  that  the  Hinman 
drum  as  constructed  to-day  will  run  at  about  50  per  cent, 
greater  periphery  speed  than  the  Parkinson  type  at  a  given 
loss  of  pressure.  In  addition  to  this  a  gain  has  been  made, 
as  has  been  explained,  in  the  capacity  per  revolution,  this 
gain  being  proportionally  greater  in  the  larger  sizes. 

Another  point  that  should  be  mentioned  in  passing  is  that 
by  reason  of  the  peculiar  position  of  the  partitions  in  this  drum 
it  lends  itself  readily  to  an  extremely  strong  form  of  construc- 
tion, so  that  it  is  possible  to  guard  against  the  effect  of  the 
stresses  resulting  from  rotating  it  at  a  high  periphery  speed. 
The  results  obtained  by  the  use  of  this  drum  are  so  far 
ahead  of  anything  heretofore  obtained  that  it  may  be  interest- 
ing to  compare  the  results  with  what  might  be  theoretically 
possible.  A  large  Hinman  drum  recently  constructed  passed 
in  one  revolution  about  70  per  cent,  of  the  total  capacity  of  the 
case,  which,  taking  into  consideration  the  fact  that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  some  space  utilized  as  gas  way,  is  within  10  per 
cent,  of  the  theoretically  possible  cubical  contents  of  the  case 
that  can  be  utilized  for  measuring  purposes.  This  shows  that 
there  is  little  advance  possible  over  the  Hinman  type  of  drum 
in  the  amount  of  gas  that  can  be  delivered  per  revolution. 
The  speed  of  revolution  of  a  wet-meter  drum  would  seem  to 
be  limited  only  by  practical  considerations  and  that  there  is 
no  theoretical  limit  available.  It  should  be  remembered,  how- 
ever, in  this  consideration  that  the  resistance  to  rotation 
increases  at  least  as  fast  as  the  square  of  the  increase  in  speed, 
and  bearing  this  in  mind,  the  very  great  increase  of  speed  of 


232 

rotation  of  this  drum  was  very  much  more  of  an  achievement 
on  the  part  of  its  inventor  than  was  the  increase  which  he 
gained  in  capacity. 

MILLET'S  DRUM. 

On  February  16,  1904,  a  patent  was  issued  in  this  country 
to  Laurent  Millet  of  Paris,  France,  for  a  gas  meter.  Accord- 
ing to  information  furnished  the  writer,  this  meter  was  origi- 
nally designed  for  use  as  a  consumer's  wet  meter,  but  within 
the  last  year  has  been  applied  as  a  station  meter.  It  is  stated 
that  at  least  two  station  meters  of  considerable  capacity  have 
been  built  on  the  Continent.  It  would  appear  from  such 
information  as  the  writer  has  been  able  to  obtain  to  be  some- 
what of  a  departure  from  any  form  hitherto  constructed.  It 
is  claimed  that  the  measuring  wheel  or  drum  will  rotate  at  a 
high  periphery  speed,  but  at  this  writing  it  is  not  possible  to 
obtain  sufficient  data  to  make  a  fair  comparison  with  other 
types. 

PROPORTIONAL  METERS. 

Something  should  be  said  in  passing  in  regard  to  the  so- 
called  proportional  station  meter,  and  the  writer  trusts  not  to  be 
misjudged  in  saying  that,  to  the  meter  maker  educated  to 
believe  in  the  correct  measurement  of  gas,  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  a  "  proportional  "  meter.  The  law  that  the  quantity 
of  gas  which  passes  through  an  orifice  is  in  direct  proportion 
to  the  area,  providing  the  pressure  is  always  the  same,  has 
always  been  an  attractive  theory  to.  those  interested  in  gas 
measurement,  and  it  has  been  no  less  a  pitfall  to  many  invent- 
ors. Meters  based  on  this  principle  have  been  devised  in  many 
forms  and  called  by  various  names,  such  as  inferential,  equal- 
izing, proportional,  etc.,  in  all  of  which  the  total  quantity  of 
gas  is  not  actually  measured,  but  subjected  to  various  condi- 
tions during  its  transmission,  from  which  the  quantity  passed 
is  inferred.  In  1820  Malam  invented  a  machine  having  an 
arrangement  made  to  secure  a  constant  pressure  upon  the  gas 
flowing  through  an  aperture  and  connected  to  a  clock  move- 
ment so  arranged  that  when  the  aperture  was  open  the  clock 
moved  at  such  a  rate  as  represented  the  area  opened. 

In  1824  an  inferential  arrangement  was  patented  by  Con- 
greve,  consisting  of  a  cock  and  tube  of  given  diameter  with  a 


233 

clock  attached  to  the  tube,  which  was  put  in  action  by  the 
opening  of  the  cock,  stopping  when  the  cock  was  closed,  thus 
registering  the  time  the  cock  continued  open.  This  affair 
depended  entirely  on  a  uniformity  of  pressure,  and  while  it 
actually  obtained  a  wide  adoption  in  France  at  one  time,  it  has 
been  lost  sight  of  except  to  occasional  inventors  who  fail  to 
make  examination  of  the  files  in  the  "Patent  Office  before 
spending  much  time  on  similar  devices. 

A  curious  inferential  meter  was  patented  by  Clegg  in  1830, 
and  known  as  the  pulse  meter,  depending  for  its  action  on  the 
pulse  glass,  which  was  caused  to  oscillate  by  the  heat  resulting 
from  the  burning  of  a  part  of  the  gas  passing.  It  is  said  that 
this  instrument  was  brought  to  such  perfection  that  it  would 
not  vary  more  than  5  per  cent.,  and  the  astonishing  part  of  it 
is  that  it  was  largely  adopted  in  some  Continental  works  as  a 
consumer's  meter.  In  1842  an  inferential  station  meter  was 
patented  by  Mr.  Edge,  by  which  the 'quantity  of  gas  passing 
was  ascertained  approximately  by  the  measurement  of  a  frac- 
tional part  of  the  full  volume,  this  machine  consisting  of  a 
cylindrical  tank  inclosing  a  holder  sealed  with  water  and  with 
two  outlets  controlled  by  cone  valves  of  varying  sizes  and  of  a 
given  proportion  to  each  other.  The  gas  being  admitted 
beneath  the  holder  caused  it  to  rise,  and  the  amount  passing 
the  orifice  controlling  the  smaller  valve  was  measured  by  a 
small  wet  meter  and  the  whole  quantity  ascertained  by  infer- 
ence. Clegg  used  this  same  principle  in  a  consumer's  meter, 
which  he  called  an  equalizing  meter,  as  it  was  intended  also  to 
act  as  a  governor.  In  recent  years  various  devices  have  been 
placed  on  the  market  for  measuring  gas  by  inferring  from  the 
measurement  of  a  small  quantity  the  total  amount  passed. 
The  most  notable  example  consists  of  a  machine  having  two 
balanced  valves  of  different  size,  the  quantity  of  gas  passing 
the  smaller  being  accurately  measured.  This  meter  has  been 
used  to  quite  an  extent  for  measuring  approximately  large 
quantities  of  natural  gas,  but  has  not  been  found  to  be  a  suc- 
cess in  measuring  artificial  gas,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  action 
of  the  condensation  on  the  working  parts  of  the  valves,  inter- 
fering with  their  perfect  working  and  thus  destroying  the  due 
proportion  of  the  areas  of  their  openings. 


234 

THE  STATION  METER  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Returning  to  the  subject  of  the  station  meter  as  it  is  made 
in  this  country  to-day,  it  may  be  divided  for  convenience  of 
description  into  three  heads  : 

The  Outer  Case, 

The  Measuring  Drum, 

Various  Appliances  and  Fittings. 

THE  CASE. 

The  case  is  usually  built  of  cast  iron,  cylindrical  in  form 
and  supported  by  cradles.  It  is  generally  and  preferably  of 
the  same  internal  diameter  and  length,  this  being  considered 
the  best  practice.  Cases  have  been  built  with  other  than 
equal  dimensions,  but  no  advantage  is  gained  by  any  radical 
departure  from  this  rule.  The  inlet  gas  way  is  in  the  centre 
of  the  rear  head  and  with  two  outlet  gas  ways  above  it  and  on 
either  side  of  the  centre  line,  the  unused  outlet  being  covered 
by  a  plate.  In  the  newer  styles  of  cases  the  outlet  is  directly 
above  the  inlet  and  in  the  larger  sizes  often  on  the  front  head 
in  the  same  relative  position.  Projecting  into  the  case 
through  the  inlet  gas  way  is  the  inlet  or  dry -well  box,  having 
at  its  inner  end  a  shaft  bearing.  This  box  is  held  in  place  by 
a  flange  which  is  bolted  to  the  outside  of  the  head  by  flat-head 
screws  and  against  the  outer  face  of  which  the  inlet  connecting 
elbow  is  bolted.  On  the  inside  of  the  front  head  is  bolted  a 
registry  box  or  sinkage  which  carries  the  front  end  of  the 
shaft.  In  the  newer  styles  of  case  this  box  is  dispensed  with 
and  the  shaft  bearing  is  cast  on  the  head. 

The  construction  of  the  case  varies  in  the  different  sizes  of 
meters.  The  smaller  cases,  from  4'  to  8',  are  usually  made 
with  the  body  or  shell  cast  in  one  piece  and  the  heads  each 
in  one  piece.  This  practice  is  also  followed  in  9'  meters  by 
some  makers,  and  10'  and  even  larger  sizes  have  been  made  in 
this  way.  These  large  castings  are  very  unwieldy,  however, 
and  inconvenient  to  handle.  Meters  of  these  sizes  are  shipped 
by  the  makers  complete,  ready  to  set  up  and  run,  and  the  gas 
company  has  only  to  set  the  meter  on  the  stand  and  make  the 
proper  connections. 


235 


FIG.  12.— 54  IN.  STATION  METER. 

Meters  above  8',  with  the  exception  of  the  9'  as  noted,  are 
built  in  situ  and  the  case  is  built  in  sections.  The  body  is 
built  in  staves,  one  or  two  pieces  in  length  and  six  or  eight 
pieces  around.  The  heads  are  usually  built  with  a  centre 
circular  piece  and  three  or  more  sector  pieces.  The  joints  are 
machined  and  made  up  in  red  lead  putty  and  substantially 
bolted  together  with  machine  bolts  and  nuts.  Some  large  cases 
have  been  made  of  wrought  iron,  which  construction  gives  a 
handsome  appearance,  but  the  cost  is  largely  in  excess  of  the 
cast-iron  case.  A  notable  instance  of  this  construction  being 
two  of  the  three  18'  6"  meters  at  the  Twenty-first  Street 
Station  of  the  Consolidated  Gas  Company,  New  York,  these 
meters,  by  the  way,  being  the  largest  ever  built  in  this  country, 
although  not  of  the  greatest  capacity,  having  been  built  before 
the  advent  of  the  Hinman  drum. 


THE  DRUM. 

The  measuring  drum  is  built  on  a  turned  steel  shaft  running 
in  bronze  boxes.  To  this  shaft  are  fastened  securely  two  or 
more  cast-iron  drum  centres.  On  these  centres  is  built  a  drum 
frame  of  wrought  iron  with  angle-iron  radial  arms  defining 
the  position  of  the  partitions  and  serving  as  spokes  to  channel 
iron  bands  encircling  the  drum.  These  are  connected  by  truss 
and  brace  irons,  and  smaller  irons  are  used  as  lattice  braces  to 
remove  all  buckle  from  the  body  or  partitions,  the  whole  con- 
struction being  of  a  character  best  calculated  to  give  durability 
to  the  drum  and  overcome  the  stresses  consequent  upon  its 
rotation  through  the  water.  The  body,  partitions  and  hollow 
cover  of  the  drum  are  made  of  heavily  coated  tinned  plates  of 
the  finest  quality  and  carefully  selected  for  freedom  from 
un tinned  spots.  These  sheets  are  usually  about  two  feet  wide 
and  four  feet  long,  the  usual  weights  being  Nos.  16  and  18 
B.  W.  G.  These  sheets  are  lapped  about  one  inch  at  the  seams 
and  riveted  together  with  tinned  iron  rivets  and  the  joint 
thoroughly  soldered  and  sweated  through.  Great  care  is 
taken  to  prevent  leaks  in  the  soldering  and  around  such  bolts 
as  hold  the  body  and  partitions  in  place  on  the  frame.  The 
dry-well  is  made  of  the  same  material  as  the  drum  body  and 
placed  in  position  after  the  drum  is  in  the  case.  It  rests  in 
the  dry-well  box  and  is  held  in  place  securely  by  its  flange, 
which  is  fastened  between  the  outer  face  of  the  flange  of 
the  dry-well  box  and  the  face  of  the  flange  of  the  inlet 
connecting  elbow.  In  the  larger  meters  manholes  are  pro- 
vided in  one  or  more  of  the  partitions  in  the  front  or  outlet 
end  of  the  drum.  These  are  provided  with  a  cover  fastened 
in  place  by  cap  screws  and  made  tight  with  a  leather  gasket. 
Access  to  these  manholes  is  afforded  by  a  corresponding  man- 
hole in  the  front  head  of  the  case  near  the  bottom.  Drum 
plugs  are  provided  in  the  body  of  the  drum,  access  to  which  is 
afforded  by  a  hand  hole  in  the  top  of  the  case.  These  plugs 
consist  of  a  threaded  socket  soldered  in  the  drum  body  and  a 
threaded  plug  having  a  square  head  on  the  outside  and  made 
tight  by  a  washer.  The  drum  should  be  balanced  carefully 
and  revolve  freely  in  the  shaft  bearing,  care  being  exercised 
to  see  that  it  does  not  rub  or  touch  any  part  of  the  case  or 
dry- well. 


237 


238 


APPLIANCES  AND  FITTINGS. 

On  the  front  end  of  the  shaft  is  a  stud  carrying  the  first  of  a 
line  of  gears  running  up  to  the  secondary  shaft  which  projects 
through  a  stuffing  box  to  the  outside  of  the  case.  These  gears 
are  sometimes  on  the  outside  of  the  head,  sometimes  in  the 
gear  sinkage  in  the  registry  box  and  covered  by  a  plate,  or,  in 
the  newer  forms  where  the  registry  box  is  dispensed  with,  on 
the  outside  of  the  head  and  covered  by  a  gear  box.  The 
secondary  shaft  and  stuffing  box  should  be  above  the  water- 
line  and  the  gears  should  be  mounted  on  studs  tapped  with 
alternate  right  and  left  thread  to  prevent  gears  from  unscrew- 
ing them.  On  the  other  end  of  the  secondary  shaft  is  a  gear 
which  meshes  into  the  secondary  line  of  gears  running  to  the 
index  box. 


PIG.  14. 
OPEN  BAR  INDEX  WITH  OBSERVATION  DIAL. 


239 

The  index  is  made  in  various  forms,  the  most  common  being 
the  crown  form  with  the  dials  showing  the  registration 
arranged  in  a  semicircle  and  surrounding  an  ornamental  design 
on  a  painted  dial,  or  with  the  gears  mounted  in  an  open  bar 
of  ornamental  design  and  having  in  the  centre  a  large  dial 
showing  the  amount  of  gas  passed  per  hour  by  observation  of 
one  minute.  A  newer  form  is  the  introduction  of  a  so-called 
straight  reading  index  showing  the  registration  on  the 
periphery  of  enameled  rings. 


FIG.  15.— STATION  METER  INDEX  WITH  STRAIGHT  READING  REGISTER  AND 
RECORDER.    From  a  drawing. 


240 

A  still  newer  form  is  one  recently  put  on  the  market  hav- 
ing a  straight-reading  register  and  a  tell-tale  or  recorder, 
consisting  of  a  cylinder  operated  by  a  clock  and  carrying  a 
paper  chart  showing  the  registration  for  twenty- four  hours. 
The  tell-tale  occupies  the  centre  of  the  index,  the  straight- 
reading  device  is  below,  and  above  is  an  observation  dial,  a 
clock  showing  time  and  an  ornamental  name  dial. 

For  many  years  it  was  the  custom  of  the  makers  to  furnish 
with  a  station  meter  three  gauges ;  namely,  an  overflow 
gauge,  which  was  usually  mounted  on  the  back  head,  a  water- 
line  gauge  and  a  pressure  gauge,  which  were  mounted  on  the 
front  head  at  the  right  and  left  of  the  index.  The  water-line 
gauge  was  of  the  usual  pattern  with  two  cocks  and  valves 
with  a  connecting  glass  tube,  and  with  the  meter  shut  down 
and  the  pressure  off  showed  the  height  of  the  water.  With 
the  meter  in  action  it  presumably  showed,  if  connected  to 
inlet  pressure  at  the  top,  the  height  of  the  water  inside  the 
drum,  and  if  connected  to  outlet  pressure,  the  height  of  the 
water  between  the  drum  and  the  case.  The  pressure  gauge 
consisted  of  a  cock  or  valve  at  the  bottom  with  a  single  glass 
tube  open  at  the  top,  and  presumably  showed  outlet  pressure. 
These  gauges,  while  ornamental,  have  little  value  in  actual 
use  on  account  of  the  oscillation  of  the  water  in  the  tubes 
caused  by  the  rotation  of  the  drum.  In  modern  practice  both 
of  these  gauges  are  discarded  and  replaced  with  a  differential 
pressure  gauge  which  is  mounted  on  the  front  head  of  the 
meter  at  one  side  of  the  index  and  the  overflow  gauge  is 
mounted  on  the  other  side.  This  gauge  is  made  in  several 
styles  and  sizes.  Figure  16  shows  a  form  often  used  on  the 
larger  sizes  of  meters. 

The  gauge  is  mounted  on  the  head  in  such  a  position  that 
the  zero  on  the  scale  is  coincident  with  the  water-line  of  the 
meter.  The  cocks  at  the  top  are  three-way,  and  from  one  a 
connection  to  outlet  pressure  is  made  by  a  short  pipe  directly 
into  the  head  of  the  meter,  and  from  the  other  a  connection  to 
inlet  pressure  is  made  by  a  pipe  running  over  the  top  of  the 
meter  to  the  inlet  gas  way  at  the  back.  At  the  bottom  there 
is  a  connection  into  the  meter  controlled  by  a  valve.  This  is 
used  only  as  a  convenient  method  of  supplying  water  to  the 


241 


FIG.  16.— DIFFERENTIAL  PRESSURE  GAUGE. 

gauge  and  is  closed  when  the  meter  is  in  operation.  A  small 
draw-off  cock  is  provided  at  the  bottom,  by  means  of  which 
the  height  of  the  water  in  the  tubes  is  adjusted  should  it 
chance  that  too  much  is  admitted.  This  gauge  when  properly 
connected  shows  at  all  times  inlet  and  outlet  pressure  and  the 
difference,  or  the  amount  consumed  by  the  operation  of  the 
meter.  By  opening  the  large  valve  at  the  bottom  the  height 
of  the  water  inside  and  outside  of  the  drum  will  show  in  the 
large  tubes,  subject,  of  course,  to  the  oscillation  of  the  water, 
and,  when  there  is  no  pressure  on  the  meter,  opening  this 
valve  will  show  the  exact  water-line  that  is  being  maintained. 


242 

It  can  be  made  an  attractive  appliance,  serving  every  possible 
purpose  of  the  old  water-line  and  pressure  gauges  and  giving 
besides  information  that  is  of  practical  value. 

On  the  small  sizes  of  meters  a  modified  form  of  this  gauge 
is  frequently  used,  having  four  glass  tubes  side  by  side  with 
scales  between  and  two  cocks  at  the  bottom  admitting  water 
from  the  meter.  This  form  is  essential^  two  syphon  gauges 
with  the  pressure  admitted  at  the  top  of  the  two  outer  tubes 
and  showing  the  inlet  pressure  on  the  two  tubes  at  one  side 
and  outlet  pressure  on  the  two  tubes  on  the  other  side  and 
the  difference  by  observation  of  the  height  of  the  water  in  the 
two  inner  tubes.  Such  a  gauge  is  shown  on  the  meter  in 
Figure  12.  It  should  be  remembered  that  these  gauges  are 
on  the  meter  to  show  the  pressure  and  are  used  only  incident- 
ally and  occasionally  to  show  the  water-line. 


FIG.  17. 

Figure  17  shows  an  overflow  gauge  such  as  is  generally 
used.  The  function  of  this  gauge  is  to  maintain  the  water 
inside  the  drum  at  the  proved  height. 


243 


It  should  be  mounted  on  the  front  head  of  the  meter  and, 
if  there  is  any  preference,  on  the  right  hand  side,  at  such  a 
height  that  with  the  water  at  the  proved  level  the  glass  cylin- 
der will  be  about  one-half  filled.  The  flare  tube  should  have 
a  running  thread  at  the  bottom,  allowing  adjustment  in 
height,  and  on  account  of  capillarity  should  be  set,  in  order 
to  have  the  water  overflow  properly,  with  the  upper  edge  of 
the  flare  just  below  the  water-line.  It  should  be  connected 
at  the  top  so  as  to  be  affected  by  inlet  pressure,  which  is  most 
easily  accomplished  by  running  a  pipe  from  it  to  the  inlet 
elbow  at  the  back  of  the  meter.  It  should  be  trapped  at  the 
bottom  either  by  a  goose-neck  formed  of  pipe,  or  by  a  seal 
box,  so  as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  gas.  The  overflow 
gauge  is  automatic  in  its  action  in  controlling  the  water-line 
when  used  in  connection  with  a  proper  water  supply  to  the 
meter. 


DtialOf 

StalBo*. 


P  Differential  Preiiurtdugt 

F  Feed  Pipe 

T  Thermometer 

W  Waste  Pipes 

I  Seal  Bo* 

S  Man  Water  Supply 

0  Overflow  Ouoge. 

1  Inlet  Pressure 
e  Outlet  Preuurf 


Pio.  18.— WATER  CONNECTIONS  WITH  SIGHT  FEED  AND  DISCHARGE  AND  GAS 
CONNECTION  TO  GAUGES. 

Figure  18  shows  a  method  of  making  water  connections  to 
the  meter  with  a  sight  feed  for  maintaining  the  water-line  and 
a  sight,  discharge  from  the  overflow. 


244 

• 

By  having  these  connections  on  the  front  of  the  meter  the 
supply  and  discharge  can  be  most  conveniently  controlled.  A 
main  water  supply  should  be  provided  for  the  purpose  of 
filling  the  meter  with  water,  the  connection  for  which  should 
be  made  in  the  head  of  the  meter  near  the  lower  edge  and 
about  one  inch  above  the  inside  of  the  case.  In  larger  meters 
it  is  also  advisable  to  have  a  water  connection  in  the  opposite 
head  in  the  same  relative  position.  A  main  waste  connection 
should  be  made  in  the  centre  of  the  bottom  of  the  case,  the 
diameter  of  which  should  be  the  same  as  the  plugs  in  the 
drum.  By  having  a  water  connection  at  both  ends  with  the 
waste  in  the  centre,  the  bottom  of  the  case  can  be  conveniently 
washed  out  from  time  to  time. 

On  the  larger  size  meters  there  should  be,  and  usually  is, 
provided  a  device  for  oiling  the  bearings.  This  is  done  by 
small  pipes  leading  from  the  shaft  boxes  to  the  outside  of  the 
case,  either  on  the  top  of  the  body  near  the  flange  on  the 
heads,  or  coming  through  the  case  and  piped  high  enough 
to  give  the  oil  sufficient  head  to  force  it  through  the  water. 
The  pipe  is  furnished  at  the  top  with  a  cap  or  with  a  cock 
and  an  oil  cup. 

Another  and  perhaps  a  preferable  method  of  lubricating  the 
bearing  is  by  the  use  of  lubricating  grease,  which,  by  means 
of  a  compression  cup,  is  forced  through  a  pipe  leading  from 
the  outside  of  the  case  to  the  shaft  bearing. 

OPERATION  AND  CARE. 

Having  described  the  various  parts  of  the  meter  we  must 
next  turn  to  its  subsequent  operation  and  care. 

The  meter  should  be  located  in  a  well-lighted  and  well- 
ventilated  place  in  which  the  temperature  can  be  maintained 
in  cold  weather  well  above  the  freezing  point.  There  should 
be  in  all  cases  sufficient  space  in  front  of  the  meter  to  allow 
the  removal  of  the  drum  should  this  be  necessary  for  examina- 
tion or  repair.  It  should  be  placed  on  a  solid  foundation  and 
stand  level  and  firm.  Care  should  be  taken  in  making  the 
gas  connections  to  have  them  rigid  and  well  fitting  so  as  not 
to  put  any  stress  on  the  meter  head.  Before  making  the  inlet 


245 

connection  the  dry- well  should  be  examined  to  see  that  it  is 
properly  in  place,  and  at  the  same  time  the  drum  should  be 
given  a  few  turns  to  see  that  it  revolves  easily. 

With  the  large  sizes  erected  in  situ  the  makers  are  of  course 
responsible  for  the  correct  placing  of  the  meter,  and  in  placing 
the  smaller  sizes  the  engineer  in  charge  should  see  that  it  is 
level  from  back  to  front  by  running  a  level  across  the  top  of 
the  head  flanges,  and  from  right  to  left  by  leveling  along  the 
marked  water-line  on  the  front  head.  After  the  gas  connec- 
tions are  made  the  gauges  should  be  put  on  and  the  water 
connections  made.  The  index  should  be  carefully  put  in  place 
and  the  gearing  tried  to  see  that  it  meshes  properly  and  runs 
smoothly.  The  hand-hole  plate  on  the  top  of  the  meter  should 
be  removed,  the  drum  plugs  taken  out  and  the  meter 
filled  with  water  to  the  marked  water-line.  The  removal  of 
the  drum  plugs  allows  the  water  to  fill  the  drum  and  case 
simultaneously,  obviating  any  undue  stress  on  the  drum. 
The  plugs  should  be  replaced  before  the  water  rises  to  such 
a  height  as  will  seal  the  partitions,  or,  say,  about  6"  below 
the  water-line,  as  the  drum  can  be  more  easily  revolved  with 
the  partitions  unsealed.  After  replacing  the  plugs,  being  sure 
that  they  are  gas  tight,  the  hand-hole  plate  is  replaced  and 
the  meter  is  ready  for  operation. 

Once  set  up  properly  the  station  meter  requires  but  little 
attention,  but  it  should  not  be  neglected.  With  the  surround- 
ings neat  and  clean,  and  the  meter  case  kept  well  painted  and 
the  fittings  polished  occasionally,  the  station  meter  becomes, 
and  it  should  be,  one  of  the  pieces  of  show  apparatus  in  the 
works.  With  a  small  amount  of  water  feeding  into  the  meter 
continuously  and  the  overflow  working  properly,  the  water  in 
the  meter  will  be  kept  fresh  and  comparatively  clean.  Some 
sediment  will  inevitably  collect  in  the  bottom  of  the  case  and 
this  should  be  cleaned  out  from  time  to  time,  the  frequency 
depending  upon  conditions.  With  large  meters  it  is  advisable 
to  examine  the  drum  occasionally — in  some  works  this  is  done 
every  summer,  but  in  doing  this  the  meter  should  not  be  kept 
open  and  the  drum  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  atmosphere 
any  more  than  is  absolutely  necessary.  The  bearings  in  large 
meters  should  be  kept  oiled.  In  small  meters  this  is  not  so 


246 

essential,  and  where  oiling  tubes  are  not  provided  the  bear- 
ings can  be  lubricated  by  lowering  the  water-line  below  the 
centre  of  the  meter  and  running  some  oil  in  on  top  of  the 
water.  The  index  and  secondary  gear  should  be  oiled  occasion- 
ally, and  it  is  well  to  use  clock  oil  for  this  purpose,  as  it  will 
not  gum  up.  The  stuffing  box  through  which  the  secondary 
shaft  projects  should  be  repacked  with  oiled  yarn  occasionally, 
although  the  necessity  for  this  will  be  found  to  be  infrequent 
if  it  is  properly  packed. 

An  interesting  phase  of  this  part  of  the  subject  is  the  ques- 
tion of  capacity.  King  states  that  "The  capacity  of  the 
station  meter  is  reckoned  by  the  quantity  of  gas  it  is  capable 
of  passing  in  an  hour,  the  wheel  making  120  revolutions  in 
that  time;"  and  in  a  more  recent  Knglish  publication  it  is 
stated  that  ' '  The  capacity  per  revolution  of  a  station  meter  is 
generally  one-hundredth  of  its  rate  per  hour."  Neither  of 
these  statements  is  correct  either  in  theory  or  practice.  The 
capacity  of  a  station  meter  should  be  based  on  the  capacity  of 
the  drum  per  revolution,  multiplied  by  the  number  of  revolu- 
tions it  will  make  per  hour  at  a  given  loss  of  pressure.  Else- 
where in  this  paper  it  is  stated  that  the  speed  of  a  drum  seems 
to  be  limited  by  practical  considerations  only.  These  limita- 
tions are  a  due  regard  for  the  working  life  of  the  drum,  and 
the  amount  of  absorbed  pressure  which  it  is  desirable  to  allow 
for  the  operation  of  the  meter. 

Other  conditions  being  equal,  the  working  life  of  a  drum 
depends,  no  doubt,  on  the  speed  at  which  it  is  driven  through 
the  water,  and  the  makers  have  adopted,  therefore,  as  a  basis 
in  rating  the  different  sizes,  a  given  circumferential  speed  in 
inches  per  second,  as,  for  instance,  about  seven  inches  per 
second  for  the  old  Crosley  four-partition  type,  eight  inches  for 
the  Parkinson  three-partition  type  and  twelve  inches- for  the 
Hinman  type.  It  has  been  found,  leaving  the  axle  friction 
out  of  consideration,  that  drums  of  varying  but  relative 
dimensions  will  produce  a  constant  loss  of  pressure  at  a  given 
periphery  speed,  and  the  various  types  are  usually  rated, 
therefore,  at  one  inch  loss,  which  is  about  the  absorption  when 
run  at  the  above  speed.  This  loss  is,  moreover,  about  all  that 
can  be  afforded,  especially  in  small  works,  and  while  probably 


247 

no  harm  will  result  from  running  the  meter  at  a  greater  speed 
than  this,  especially  for  a  short  time,  yet  to  set  this  as  the 
ordinary  limit  will  certainly  conduce  to  a  longer  life  and  a 
smaller  maintenance  charge. 

On  page  249  is  a  table  of  the  various  size  of  meters  ordinarily 
made,  with  the  usual  rated  capacity  at  one  inch  loss  of  pres- 
sure between  inlet  and  outlet.  To  this  table  is  added  also  the 
weight  of  each  size  and  of  the  water,  and  the  writer  should 
add  that  the  figures  of  capacity  are  intentionally  conservative 
and  that  the  weights  are  necessarily  approximate. 

A  word  might  be  said  at  this  point  about  the  usual  posi- 
tion of  the  outlet  gas  way.  Ordinarily  this  has  been  at  the 
back  of  the  case,  and  the  gas  escaping  from  the  drum  at  the 
front  end  must  pass  over  the  drum  between  it  and  the  case 
to  the  outlet.  By  placing  the  outlet  on  the  front  head  the 
gas  escapes  directly  into  it  as  it  leaves  the  drum,  with  a 
consequent  saving  in  loss  of  pressure.  With  the  outlet  in 
this  position  the  drum  can  also  be  made  larger  both  in 
diameter  and  length,  as  it  is  not  necessary  to  utilize  as  gas 
way  the  space  between  the  drum  and  case,  and  thus  a  greater 
capacity  is  obtained  without  an  increase  in  periphery  speed. 
While  this  position  of  the  outlet  detracts  somewhat  from  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  meter,  especially  in  the  smaller  sizes,  it  does  not 
particufarly  affect  the  appearance  of  larger  meters.  A  view 
is  given  in  Figure  19  of  three  16'  meters  with  outlets  con- 
nected in  front,  this  picture  being  otherwise  interesting  as 
showing  one  of  the  largest  installations  of  meters  in  one 
room  in  this  country,  the  aggregate  capacity  of  the  six  meters 
being  about  1,000,000  cubic  feet  per  hour. 


249 

ooooooooo 

to  to  O    O   O   *o  to  to  o 


0      O    fOvr     ON  CO  00    COOO 
>-<    w    H-,    M    <N    CN    CO 


r     r     t      o     i- 

O    N    iO  ON  CO 

HH       M       M       M      CS 


OOOOOOOOOOQQQQOQ 
OOOloioOOOloOOOOOOO 


O    O    O    O 
rh  to  t^oo 


8O   O   O   O   O   O   O 
to  to  O   O   O   O   O 


O    "0 

00    ON 


w 
•S^o 

S5 

O    g 


8888888888 


lOVO   CO     O    0«    *O  t^-  O     "^t- 

,-T  i-T  *-T  i-T  oT  cT 


OO 


8888888888 


10  vo  oo   o  o    --  t     c\  o   oo  \O 

HHMMI-(M(NCS       CO 


t^OO 


a   .  a-  .  a  •  a 


t^-t^OO 


250 

TESTING. 

Before  the  meter  is  delivered  to  the  purchaser  by  the  maker 
it  is  tested,  the  exact  water-line  is  established  and  marked 
and  the  index  is  geared  to  register  correctly.  The  meter  is 
tested  with  two  purposes  in  view.  First,  for  soundness,  or 
the  detection  of  leaks,  if  any  exist  in  the  drum  or  case  ;  and, 
second,  to  prove  that  the  meter  holds  a  given  amount  per 
revolution  at  an  exact  water-line  and  that  the  index  is  geared 
correctly. 

The  test  should  be  made  with  a  wet-test  meter,  which 
should  be  carefully  proved  to  be  correct  at  a  given  rate  of 
speed.  In  making  the  test  the  gas  is  passed  first  through 
the  test  meter,  and  then  through  the  station  meter,  the  gen- 


FIG.  20.— CONNECTIONS  FOR  TESTING  WITH  WET  TEST  METER. 
eral  arrangement  of  connections  being  as  shown  in  Figure  20. 
The  main  inlet  and  the  outlet  valves  to  the  station  meter 
should  be  tightly  closed,  and  as  a  matter  of  precaution  should 
be  sealed  with  water  if  possible.  The  supply  of  gas  to  the 
test  meter  should  be  from  a  source  having  the  least  possible 
variation  of  pressure. 


251 

Pressure  gauges  should  be  fixed  so  as  to  show  the  inlet  and 
outlet  pressure  on  both  the  test  meter  and  the  station  meter, 
observation  of  which  will  indicate  any  undue  resistance  in 
either  meter,  and  furnish  a  basis  for  any  necessary  correc- 
tion in  the  test  on  account  of  the  drop  in  pressure  between 
the  meters. 

A  thermometer  should  be  fixed  in  the  front  head  of  both 
meters,  indicating  the  temperature  of  the  passing  gas. 

In  testing  for  soundness  of  the  station-meter  case  and  the 
testing  connections,  the  valve  in  the  discharge  pipe  from  the 
station  meter,  is  closed,  the  other  valves  being  wide  open. 
When  pressure  has  accumulated  on  both  meters,  the  valve  in 
the  supply  to  the  test  meter  is  closed  and  an  observation  of 
the  pressure  gauges  made  to  see  if  the  pressure  holds.  If  it 
does  not  hold,  a  leak  is  indicated. 

As  a  general  rule,  a  leak  in  the  case  will  be  indicated  by  the 
station-meter  drum  revolving  slightly  during  the  falling  of 
the  pressure,  while  it  will  remain  stationary  for  a  leak  in  the 
testing  connections.  Having  ascertained  that  the  case  and 
connections  are  tight  the  test  is  proceeded  with  to  prove  the 
soundness  of  the  drum  and  for  the  establishment  of  an  exact 
water-line.  A  long  hand  or  pointer  is  fixed  on  the  secondary 
spindle  of  the  station  meter  by  means  of  which  the  revolu- 
tions of  the  drum  are  indicated  precisely.  The  valves  con- 
trolling the  supply  to  the  test  meter  and  the  valve  in  the  dis- 
charge to  the  open  air  are  opened  to  such  a  degree  as  will 
speed  the  test  meter  at  the  proper  rate  and  hold  the  pressure 
steadily,  and  one  or  more  revolutions  made  of  the  station- 
meter  drum. 

The  soundness  of  the  drum  is  determined  incidentally  by 
the  test  made  for  the  establishment  of  the  water-line.  The 
capacity  of  the  drum  is  usually  known,  either  by  calculation 
of  its  dimensions  or  by  previous  experience,  or  by  both,  and 
any  decided  increase  in  this  amount  would  indicate  a  leak  in 
the  drum.  In  addition  to  this  the  action  of  the  pointer  on 
the  secondary  spindle  should  be  observed  at  all  times  during 
the  test.  While  the  water-line  should  be  finally  fixed  as  the 
result  of  tests  made  at  the  speed  at  which  the  test  meter  is 
proved  correct,  one  or  more  complete  revolutions  of  the  drum 


252 

should  be  made  at  a  slower  speed.  If  the  results  agree  of 
tests  made  at  varying  speeds,  the  drum  is  undoubtedly  sound. 
After  the  water-line  is  established  the  index  is  geared  to 
register  correctly  the  gas  passed  at  each  revolution  of  the 
drum,  and  the  accuracy  of  the  gearing  leading  to  the  index 
should  be  determined  either  by  counting  the  teeth  in  the 
gears,  or  by  one  or  more  revolutions  of  the  drum  after  the 
index  is  fixed  in  place. 

It  would  be  an  ideal  situation  in  making  a  test  of  a  station 
meter,  if  the  temperature  of  the  room,  of  the  water  in  both 
meters  and  of  the  gas  were  all  uniform,  and  any  ordinary 
means  that  can  be  taken  to  provide  these  conditions  should 
not  be  neglected.  These  ideal  conditions  are  seldom  possible, 
however,  and,  therefore,  in  order  to  obtain  accurate  results, 
the  tests  as  made  must  usually  be  corrected  for  variations  of 
temperature.  These  corrections  should  be  based  on  observa- 
tions of  the  temperature  of  the  gas  as  it  leaves  the  drum  of 
the  test  meter  and  the  drum  of  the  station  meter,  or,  in  other 
words,  from  the  thermometer  fixed  in  the  front  head  of 
both  meters,  and  the  correction  should  be  made  according 
to  the  standard  correction  tables.  A  further  correction  should 
be  made  for  the  drop  in  pressure  which  occurs  between  the 
test  meter  and  the  station  meter,  and  due  to  friction  in  both 
meters  and  in  the  connections.  This  drop  is  usually  small, 
but  should  be  taken  into  consideration,  and  the  correction 
should  be  based  on  observations  of  the  pressure  shown  by 
the  gauges  on  the  inlet  of  both  meters. 

While  the  above  remarks  apply  more  particularly  to  the 
original  testing  of  a  station  meter,  they  apply  also  in  a  general 
way  to  the  subsequent  testing  which  may  be  made  to  deter- 
mine the  continued  soundness  of  the  drum  and  to  verify  the 
accuracy  of  the  registration  of  the  meter. 

Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  change  the  relative  position  of 
the  test  meter  to  the  station  meter.  This  becomes  necessary 
when  it  is  impossible  to  close  and  seal  tightly  the  inlet  valve 
to  the  meter,  which  is  sometimes  the  case  with  old  valves. 
Under  these  conditions  the  gas  is  passed  through  the  station 
meter  first  and  then  through  the  test  meter.  One  of  the 
principal  objections  to  this  method  of  testing  is  the  probable 


253 

variation  of  pressure  during  the  test,  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
station  meter  is  subject  to  every  change  of  pressure  on  the 
works,  making  it  necessary  to  take  very  careful  observations 
of  pressure  in  order  to  make  close  corrections. 

Occasionally  it  is  desirable  to  have  the  meter  register  in 
other  terms  than  actual  cubic  feet  measured  ;  for  instance,  the 
gas  may  be  passing  the  station  meter  under  an  average  pres- 
sure of  ten  inches  water  column,  while  the  registration  is 
desired  in  terms  of  an  average  pressure  of  one  and  one-half 
inches.  This  is  easily  arranged,  but  should  always  be  calcu- 
lated mathematically,  and  then  by  producing  the  desired 
difference  in  conditions  between  the  station  meter  and  the  test 
meter,  proved  out  experimentally. 

It  should  be  always  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  the  station 
meter  measures  volume,  and  that,  correctly  proved,  it  will 
register  a  cubic  foot  of  gas  for  every  foot  passed  under  what- 
ever conditions  of  temperature  and  pressure  prevail  in  the 
meter,  and  that  to  obtain  the  volume  at  some  other  tempera- 
ture or  pressure  the  necessary  corrections  must  be  carefully 
made,  based  on  a  knowledge  of  the  prevailing  conditions. 

In  conclusion  the  writer  begs  to  say  that  this  paper  was 
undertaken  with  two  objects  in  view. 

First :  To  supply,  to  some  extent  at  least,  an  apparent  lack 
in  the  records  of  Gas  Associations  of  information  on  the  subject 
of  the  station  meter,  and  in  carrying  out  this  idea  the  writer 
has  gone  into  the  detail  of  the  subject  as  far  as  seemed  possi- 
ble without  presuming  upon  your  patience. 

Second  :  To  remove  some  of  the  mystery  with  which  the 
station  meter  seems  to  be  regarded,  especially  in  smaller 
works.  That  the  geometries  of  the  wet  meter  are  somewhat 
difficult  to  describe  and  thoroughly  understand  is  true  ;  that 
it  requires  skill  and  experience,  and  above  all,  care,  to  properly 
design  and  construct  the  form  of  wet  meter  known  as  the 
station  meter,  is  no  less  true,  but  the  writer  hopes  that  this 
paper  may  aid  in  giving  such  general  knowledge  of  the  prin- 
ciple involved  in  the  wet  meter  and  of  its  design  and  construc- 
tion that  it  will  no  longer  be  regarded  as  a  mystery. 

King  states  that  the  station  meter  may  be  classed  among  the 
most  beautiful  of  mechanical  inventions,  and  this,  while 


254 

high  praise,  is  not  unwarranted.  Not  the  least  of  its  claims 
to  such  a  high  place  is  its  simplicity  of  operation  while  assur- 
ing the  absolute  correctness  of  the  result  of  the  work  it  is 
designed  to  do. 

The  writer  desires  to  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  for 
assistance  in  preparing  this  paper  to  Mr.  L,.  M.  Scofield,  C.  E., 
of  Albany,  N.  Y.;  to  Mr.  Chas.  W.  Hinman,  M.  E.,  of  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  late  Inspector  of  Gas  and  Meters  of  Massachusetts ; 
and  to  Mr.  Wm.  N.  Milsted,  of  New  York,  Secretary  of  the 
American  Meter  Company. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt)  :  As  the  hour  for  adjourn- 
ment is  already  at  hand,  I  think  with  Mr.  McDonald's  con- 
sent that  we  will  not  call  for  any  discussion  on  his  paper. 

MR.  MCDONALD  :  I  will  be  glad  to  answer  any  questions  as 
briefly  as  I  can. 

MR.  J.  B.  HOWARD  (Galena,  111.)  :  I  move  a  vote  of 
thanks  to  Mr.  McDonald  for  the  excellent  paper  which  he 
has  presented. 

MR.  AI/TEN  S.  MILLER  (Baltimore,  Md.):  In  seconding  the 
motion  for  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  McDonald,  I  wish  to  say 
that  I  do  not  believe  there  are  many  people  connected  with  the 
gas  industry  of  this  country  who  know  of  the  part  that  Mr. 
Donald  McDonald,  of  Albany,  has  had  in  developing  the 
station  meter.  It  is  perfectly  true  that  this  is  Mr.  Hinman 's 
drum,  but  it  is  also  true  that  the  strength  of  the  meter  depends 
in  a  large  degree  on  the  way  in  which  the  drum  is  framed  up, 
and  the  frame  is  almost  as  important  as  the  design  of  the  drum — 
even  more  important.  Mr.  McDonald  has  had  a  great  deal  to 
do  with  the  development  of  the  frame  of  the  meter  drum,  and 
if  any  of  the  gas  people  would  compare  the  drum  of  ten  years 
ago  with  the  drum  of  to-day  they  would  find  there  has  been 
more  advance  made  in  this  respect  than  has  been  made  in 
steam  locomotives  in  the  past  thirty  years. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt)  :  Before  putting  the  motion 
I  will  say  that  if  any  of  the  gentlemen  have  prepared  written 
discussions  on  this  paper  they  may  hand  them  to  the  secretary, 
so  that  they  may  be  embodied  in  the  Proceedings. 


255 

The  motion  of  Mr.  Howard  was  put  to  vote  and  adopted. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Pratt)  :  I  will  now  turn  the  meeting 
over  to  the  President  of  the  American  Gas  L,ight  Association, 
Mr.  Norris. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Norris)  :  We  have  now  reached  the 
closing  stage  of  this  Congress. 

MR.  PAUL  DOTY  (St.  Paul,  Minn.)  :  Before  we  adjourn,  I 
would  like  to  say  that  this  Gas  Congress  has  been  unique  in 
its  opportunities,  and  the  records  of  this  Congress  will  be 
epoch-making.  We  who  have  been  in  attendance  at  this 
Congress  know  that  the  program  of  a  Congress  of  this  char- 
acter does  not  simply  happen — there  must  be  directing  forces 
and  directing  energies ;  I  think,  therefore,  Mr.  Chairman,  that 
it  will  be  proper,  and  with  your  permission  I  will  move  that  a 
vote  of  thanks  be  tendered  to  the  Committee  of  Arrangements 
who  have  so  generously  provided  for  our  entertainment  and  for 
our  comfort ;  and  I  include  in  my  motion  that  the  members  of 
the  Congress,  thank  the  officers  of  the  Congress  who  have  pre- 
pared such  a  splendid  literary  program  for  our  education. 

The  motion  was  put  and  carried. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Norris)  :  The  Committee  of 
Arrangements  will  please  consider  itself  heartily  thanked  by 
the  Congress,  and  the  officers  of  the  Congress  will  also  consider 
themselves  similarly  thanked. 

I  would  like  to  make  a  motion  from  the  rostrum,  if  I  may, 
and  that  is  to  move  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Secretary  of  this 
meeting.  He  has  had  a  lot  of  work  to  do,  which  no  one  who 
has  not  been  called  upon  to  get  up  a  similar  meeting  will  be 
able  to  appreciate.  I  move  a  vote  of  thanks  separately  to 
Mr.  Forstall,  in  addition  to  Mr.  Doty's  motion. 

MR.  WM.  MCDONALD  (Albany,  N.  Y.):  I  heartily  second 
the  motion,  as  I  know  what  the  Secretary's  work  has  been  in 
connection  with  this  Congress. 

Motion  put  and  carried. 

THE  PRESIDENT  (Mr.  Norris):  The  Secretary  will  con- 
sider himself  thanked.  Before  a  motion  for  adjournment  is 
made,  I  desire  in  the  name  of  the  respective  presiding  officers 


256 

of  this  Congress  to  express  my  appreciation  of  the  attendance 
of  the  members  and  the  manner  in  which  the  Congress  has 
taken  hold  of  the  subjects  which  have  been  presented.  It  has 
been  very  satisfactory  and  thoroughly  appreciated  by  those 
who  have  been  in  the  chair. 

On  motion  the  Congress  adjourned. 


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